Skylanders: Race To Save Skylands
by UniverseClassLegend
Summary: Based on the hit 2015 game, Skylanders SuperChargers, the Skylanders embark on their greatest and most serious adventure yet! Skylands has fallen to the iron rule of Kaos, and he plans to use his ultimate weapon, The Sky Eater, to destroy all of Skylands! With the help of the vehicular heroes, the SuperChargers, the Skylanders must fight Kaos and ultimately, The Darkness itself!
1. Prologue

It wasn't supposed to be like this…

For many years, the Skylanders served as champions that protected all of Skylands. They fought back against many threats, most notably the likes of the Dark Portal Master Kaos. Every time, he was defeated, and we Skylanders ensured peace and prosperity.

But then...it all changed.

It was after our adventures with the Trap Team. However, you must be wondering who I am…

My name is Spyro. And I am not of this world. Me and another, Cynder, come from a realm far beyond Skylands. And for 4 years, we called Skylands home.

But if was after we trapped Kaos in Traptanium and stopped The Ultimate Weapon that struck me the most.

I remember that day so clearly. It began when I had a nightmare in which I fought The Darkness itself, the force of all evil in Skylands, in the form of my old enemy. Malefor.

I was unable to defeat him, even though I wasn't holding back. In that dream, The Darkness killed me.

I told Cynder about this. She told me not to worry. Should The Darkness ever have a physical form, let alone reveal itself to be a living being, then we would fight it together.

I know how she felt.

Back when we were about to face Malefor back on my world, I told her those exact words to comfort her.

I rested to calm myself of that nightmare. But when I woke up, everyone was gone.

When I entered the Academy, I saw all my friends knocked out, and fast asleep. Even more of them were in the kitchen, let alone all over the place.

Then, I heard an explosion below.

After searching for the source of the noise, I found that the Academy had a secret passageway that was left open. Something Master Eon never told the Skylanders about. Something he never told ME about. I went down the spiral staircase and saw what looked like an Elemental Vault. It seemed to have been blown open.

And then, I saw it…

You see, traps do something to villains inside them. It somehow makes them good. That's what happened to Kaos.

But I was proven wrong.

Whatever happened to the villains in those traps, it didn't work on Kaos. Possibly because he was a Portal Master. He had been faking his kindness this whole time!

And with him and his troll butler, Glumshanks, was the very last remains of The Darkness itself! With such power at his disposal, he now proclaimed himself "Emperor Kaos". There was nothing I could do to stop him.

At least, nothing I could do ALONE.

I rushed back upstairs and desperately tried to wake up everyone. But Kaos had slipped a sleeping charm into all the cotton candy he was giving out. And I was the only one at the Academy that didn't eat one.

That charm worked so well. No matter what I did, I was unable to wake them up.

With Kaos combining his own power with The Darkness, I only had one option left: Stop him myself.

But just like my nightmare, I was easily bested. The last thing I heard was Kaos laughing more evil and chaotic than he ever laughed before.

When I woke up, the others had as well. Thankfully, the Academy wasn't attacked.

Skylands itself, however, wasn't in the same shape.

The realm had been conquered. And Skylands' only heroes had failed to save it.

I remember how traumatized I was. We had failed. Hundreds, THOUSANDS, of citizens had been all counting on us to come save them. And what did we do?

Nothing.

I had failed my friends. I had failed Skylands. I had failed myself.

Finally, we knew what it felt like to lose. To be kicked down in the dirt, like Kaos always was.

Skylands had finally lost all hope. Kaos had now achieved what he had always wanted to achieve.

He had become the Ultimate Evil Overlord Of Ultimate Evil.

And thus, the Skylanders were no more…

Instead, there was only the Resistance.

It only FELT like we had lost all hope. But it wasn't over yet. We could still take back our home. MY home.

Searching for a way to overthrow Kaos, we discovered that he had regained old allies to his cause. Every villain we had ever faced in the past.

Hektor.

Captain Frightbeard.

The Dream Sheep.

And most notably, Count Moneybone.

Kaos had even shut down the Portal Network. No one could get in or out of Skylands.

Although the other villains and Doom Raiders were still on our side, the Skylands Resistance STILL stood no chance against the Kaos Empire. We needed a Plan B.

That's when we heard of it. Something that was powerful enough to create rifts all across Skylands for fast transportation. Something that could finally give us an edge in these desperate times: The Rift Engines.

We needed to find out more. And there was only one place we could go: Know-It-All Island.

But by the time we got to the island, something was terribly wrong. There WAS no Know-It-All Island!

This was impossible. No force in Skylands was powerful enough to obliterate entire islands!

But that was when we met THEM!

Ten figures met up with us at Skylander Academy while we were trying to find an alternate way to find out more about these "Rift Engines".

Turns out, that alternate way found US.

They called themselves the SuperChargers. Masters of piloting powerful vehicles. They had formed in the early days of the Kaos Empire. Heck, they were even temporarily by a barrel throwing monkey and a hammer wielding turtle that could breathe fire! But, I'm pretty sure those guys are gone now. Must be back in their own worlds. Anyway, we were introduced to the new Skylanders. They never told us how they and their vehicles were banished to Earth. Possibly because they were never banished there at all in the first place!

Spitfire was on pace to become the fastest driver in the Super Skylands Racing Circuit. With his lightning quick reflexes and nerves of steel, this tech enhanced flame spirit was absolutely unbeatable. But during the championship event at Skywinder Canyon, he was illegally bumped off course by a goblin racer and sent flying into the canyon wall in a fiery explosion! Most thought that this would put an end to his racing career. But three weeks later, he was back on the track, more fired up than ever to claim the title. Unfortunately, it was then that all of Skylands fell under the rule of Kaos, and the racing came to an end. That's when Spitfire was approached by Eon with an offer that could get him back behind the wheel as the new leader of an elite driving team – the Skylander Superchargers! So, I guess Eon had a plan in case any of this happened after all!

From the moment she left the nest, Stormblade had always pushed the boundaries, seeking to travel further than anyone had ever gone. At a young age, she made the bold leap off of her home island and plummeted through the deep blue sky in an attempt to find the bottom of Skylands – only to find no such bottom existed. This did not fulfill her curiosity, nor did it sway her belief there was something else beyond the limits of her world. Soon she built a custom ship, the Sky Slicer, and raced to the furthest reaches of Skylands in search of its end – but no end could be found. She wanted answers, and so she came to the one person that could help her – Eon. The Portal Master instantly saw the unquenchable thirst for exploration that resided in Stormblade, and asked her to join the Skylanders on a very special mission that would take her through the uncharted rifts between worlds!

Believe it or not, Dive-Clops was actually the twin brother of Eye-Brawl (That explains the emotion I saw in the Undead Giant)! When he was young, his bat-wings were blasted off by pirates while flying over the Swirling Sea, causing him to plunge into the abyss below. After rolling on the bottom for several days, he was discovered by an underwater civilization of Jelly Dwarves. They were instantly fascinated by the bizarre looking eyeball and took him back to their Corral Castle, where they built him a magnificent dive suit that would allow him to explore the depths of the sea. But everything changed when Dive-Clops decided to venture to the mysterious Whirlpool of Destiny deep within the ocean. As he got closer, he suddenly felt pulled by its immense power, and reemerged to discover that thousands of years had passed! Now with his destiny before him as a member of the Skylanders, Dive-Clops lets the minions of Kaos know that there are many dangers of the deep!

Smash Hit came from a long line of Warsupials - a rare species widely renowned for their skills in combat. But in more peaceful times, his people were responsible for locating and demolishing any remaining artifacts from the Arkeyan Empire that were deemed too dangerous to leave standing. Smash Hit liked his job because it allowed him to do what he loved most - break things! He was so skillful with his wrecking ball that he could single-handedly dismantle an entire Arkeyan Conquertron in under an hour and still have time for a snack. When Master Eon noticed his skill, he enlisted the talented Warsupial into a new wrecking crew he was forming to take on Kaos - the SuperChargers!

Thrillipede served in the Millipede Military in the outer regions of Skylands. As the top pilot in his unit, Thrillipede was responsible for single-handedly blasting over 300 Greeble warships out of the sky! When the Great Greeble War came to an end, he returned to his hometown of Flutter Bay as a celebrated hero. He was the talk of the town and everyone wanted to shake the many hands of the famous young pilot. News of his heroics eventually made their way to Flynn at the Academy, who set out to determine if the stories were true. In a series of friendly challenges, the two pilots raced, soared through obstacles, and performed incredible stunts in front of a cheering Flutter Bay crowd. In each event, Thrillipede stood victorious, and was asked to join the Skylanders shortly after. Of course, Flynn later admitted that he "let him win" so that Thrillipede wouldn't be embarrassed in front of his hometown.

Despite being undead, Fiesta had always been the life of the party. He was once the head member of a popular mariachi band in the personal court of Count Moneybone, who all undead citizens respected immensely. In his spare time, Fiesta and his bandmates played music for all of the new arrivals that entered the Underworld. However, a day came when the new arrivals were actually several Skylanders, who had come on a mission to stop Count Moneybone from unleashing a robot army on all of Skylands. Fiesta then realized that he, like so many others, had been fooled by the evil Count into thinking he was kind and generous – not the vengeful monster he truly was. Unbeknownst to the Skylanders, Fiesta and his bandmates helped to distract the robot army so they could infiltrate Moneybone's mansion and put a stop to him. Even though the Skylanders were unaware, this act of bravery and defiance did catch the attention of Master Eon, who recruited him at once.

High Volt was once the commander of a special security force that was in charge of patrolling the border between the known regions of Skylands and the mysterious uncharted region known as the Outlands. From atop the Shockspire Tower, their security headquarters, High Volt vigilantly monitored any strange activity beyond the border, knowing that Kaos and his minions were always up to no good. Over the years, he had defended Skylands against countless Greeble attacks, Troll uprisings, and even a few evil food chains that were attempting to expand. But on a recent patrol mission into the Outlands, High Volt discovered a heavily guarded construction site, where Kaos' minions appeared to be building something. Something big! Realizing at once that all of Skylands was in danger, he raced to the Academy to inform Eon and joined the Skylanders in their fight to stop it!

Splat grew up in a typical faun village, which was perfectly manicured and orderly. Every day in school, she and her classmates would recite the same poems, play the same music, and paint the same picture – which was always a portrait of their great ancestor, Fluty Hoofdancer. But this didn't suit Splat. The only art she wanted to learn was the art of war! After school, she would sneak off to the river and practice her own free form fighting technique against Chompies and other creatures that were causing trouble. When the elder fauns learned of this, were outraged. But soon thereafter, a band of Drow attacked the village to steal their valuable art, and while the other fauns cowered in fear, Splat stood her ground. Unleashing her self-taught fighting style, she defended her village and sent the Drow running. Now as a member of the Skylanders, Splat makes quite the impression wherever she goes!

While on a secret mission in troll territory, Astroblast crash landed on a remote island where he stumbled upon an ancient relic not seen in thousands of years - a legendary Rift Engine. These magical machines were believed to have the power to travel through the portals between Skylands and other worlds! Shortly after the discovery, an army of trolls appeared on a nearby canyon ridge and quickly charged toward Astroblast. Knowing that the Rift Engine would be very dangerous in the wrong hands, he pulled out his pulse laser and prepared to defend the relic against the incoming horde. After an epic shootout, the trolls fled in defeat. When Astroblast then brought the relic back to his ship, the Sun Runner, it surged with power and a hologram of Eon appeared. Eon thanked him for saving the Rift Engine and beckoned him to return it to the Academy. Astroblast accepted the invitation and was made a Skylander shortly thereafter.

Nightfall was a Dreadwalker from Fogshadow Tower, a mysterious fortress in the middle of the Poison Sea. While most Dreadwalkers stayed within the noxious cloud they called home, Nightfall preferred to dive into the black abyss and hunt the dark monsters that threatened her people. One day, as she was exploring a deep cavern in her submarine, the Sea Shadow, Nightfall came upon an enormous object that pulsed with a strange energy. It was gigantic, and before she could comprehend what she was looking at, it hatched! Out came a creature 100 times larger than anything she had ever seen! She fired the engines and raced back to warn her people. Just as the last citizens boarded an evacuation ship, the colossal head of the Leviathan broke the surface of the water and let out a terrible roar! Without hesitation, Nightfall rushed towards the monster, blasting it with everything she had while the others made their escape. This act of heroism caught the attention of Eon, and the rest is Skylander history!

And of course, being great drivers and pilots, the SuperChargers even had their own vehicles!

Spitfire drove the powerful Hot Streak, which was made from elemental magma rock and forged in the depths of the Volcanic Vault itself! With maximum firepower, it was capable of achieving extreme speeds and ready to scorch anything in its path!

Stormblade piloted the Sky Slicer, which was aerodynamic and lightning fast! Originally designed by her to explore the furthest reaches of Skylands, the Sky Slicer has since been retrofitted with high-powered weaponry and armor, making it one of the best in the nest!

Dive-Clops was at them helm of the Dive Bomber. It was a heavy duty aquatic battle tank! With enchanted metal plating capable of withstanding the immense pressure of the deep ocean, evil had nowhere to hide when Dive-Clops is in pursuit!

Smash Hit drove the powerful and destructive Thump Truck. It was built for one purpose – total destruction! It has been heavily modified with earth crunching iron jaws, a gravel exhaust port, and armored steel plating for ultimate toughness!

Thrillipede was an ace pilot when flying his famous fighter plane, the Buzz Wing. After heroically blasting over 300 enemy jets in the Great Greeble War, it was put on display in the Millipede Museum. But with Kaos on the loose again, it was back in action and ready for more!

Fiesta drove his own party-mobile, the Crypt Crusher, which was the undefeated champion of underworld drag racing. Originally crafted from Fiesta's childhood race car bed, it now uses an intimidating "Wheel of Doom" to roll over the competition!

High Volt patrolled in the Shield Striker. It was the ultimate weapon against evil. Heavily armored and surging with electricity, High-Volt's high-powered machine was geared up to enforce justice on anything that stands in its way!

Splat sped across the wave on her Splatter Splasher. A high speed hydro-craft that leaves evil floating in its wake, with its ultra-slick armor and underwater enchantment, Splat's custom ride was a force to be reckoned with above and below the surface!

Astroblast was the Captain (in fact, the only crew member) of the Sun Runner. It was a prototype spaceship built to recover items that are lost when traveling through the portals. Its anti-gravity capabilities and speedy acceleration allow Astroblast to get the jump on bad guys before they know what hit them!

Nightfall patrolled the night in her Sea Shadow. Originally built by her to explore shadowy depths of the Poison Sea near her home, it was elusive and agile with powerful weaponry that will sting any monster that lurks in the abyss!

We also learned that the vehicles had three different terrains: Land, Sea, and Sky. Land had the Fire, Earth, Undead, and Tech Elements. Sea had the Water, Magic, and Dark Elements. Sky had the Air, Life, and Light Elements.

The SuperChargers even had eight spare Rift Engines! Spitfire had said that they were looking for new members, so a few of us stepped forward. Pop Fizz, Terrafin, Jet-Vac, Trigger Happy, Stealth Elf, Eruptor, Gill Grunt, and Roller Brawl each touched a Rift Engine. The engines read their element, which gave them awesome new powers and looks!

Pop Fizz now had a Big Bubble tuba in which he could shoot potions out of in the form of potions!

Roller Brawl now had Bone Bash armor and was equipped with Fang Blades.

Stealth Elf now had a Super Shot cannon that could shoot out daggers.

Trigger Happy now had a set of Big Bang guns and could become a real daredevil, using circus tricks for combat.

Eruptor now had a Lava Lance and a set of cool armor to match.

Jet-Vac now had a Hurricane Wing Pack and Gun.

Gill Grunt now had a Deep Dive trident, which could help summon lightning as well as water.

Terrafin now had a Shark Shooter rocket launcher that shot out shark missiles.

Over the course of a few days, the new SuperChargers tested out their new powers and abilities. They even got their own vehicles!

Eruptor now drove the Burn-Cycle, which he had created when trying to make a "flaming snowman" during our last holiday party. He had thrown it away since he wasn't such a good driver. But now that Rift Engine had brought it back!

Gill Grunt now piloted the Reef Ripper. As well as fighting back against the Kaos Empire, Gill told me that he also planned to use it to find his mermaid girlfriend he met all those years ago.

Jet-Vac now flew the Jet Stream. A finely tuned storm-chasing machine, with twin turbines giving it supreme maneuverability, along with Sky Baron battle armor and enhanced weaponry, it was guaranteed that it will always be the last bird standing!

Terrafin now drove the Shark Tank (A TANK tank, not a fish tank). Containing subterranean navigation, all-terrain teeth tread, and enhanced battle armor, it is primed and ready to take the bite to the Kaos Empire!

Stealth Elf piloted a helicopter known as the Stealth Stinger, which also had a cloaking device. And equipped with high-velocity rockets and gatling guns.

Roller Brawl now drove the Tomb Buggy. She had first crafted it from the remains of a Grave Panther before ultimately crashing it. Now, the Rift Engine had fully repaired it!

My pal, Trig, now drove the Gold Rusher. An all-purpose, high performance stunt vehicle, and packed with hyper exhaust pipes and leprechaun gold plating. Pretty flashy, I gotta say.

Pop Fizz was given the Soda Skimmer by his Rift Engine. Running entirely on jet-potion and built with an indestructible inflatable material called "Bafloon" (created by Pop Fizz himself), this vehicle had all the right ingredients!

Now, The Skylands Resistance was truly ready to take on the Kaos Empire!

Only problem? The new SuperChargers didn't know how to drive. So, the old SuperChargers had them take a little Driver's Ed.

Each SuperCharger taught the newbie of their matching element.

Eruptor learned he could do a wheelie (even though the Burn-Cycle didn't HAVE a rear wheel!)

Jet-Vac learned that flying a fighter jet was NOT the same as flying on his jetpack (he refused lessons from Flynn because, come on, we all knew how THAT would turn out).

High Volt had a little trouble teaching Trigger Happy. The little crazy gremlin guy kept crashing.

Into.

Every.

Single.

Obstacle.

Pop Fizz had to get the hang of driving a boat. I think he even got seasick!

Stealth Elf had a little trouble maneuvering a helicopter. But I think she got used to it.

Terrafin had some trouble on bumpy terrain. Plus, I think he got some dirt and rock in his mouth the first time the Shark Tank burrowed.

Roller Brawl tried to see driving like roller derby. I think that little trick worked!

Gill Grunt was used to diving underwater. He mastered his vehicle first.

And so, the resistance was ready.

We had continued to fight the Kaos Empire. The speed of the vehicles gave us an incredible advantage!

And now, we've been fighting them for over a year. It was hard to believe that Cynder and I first came here 5 years ago.

Recently, Flynn, Cali, and Hugo contacted us. They said that they had gained some enemy plans.

Turns out that Kaos was trying to build something. The very same "something" that High Volt had noticed. Well, whatever it was, I knew what it meant. If that thing was ever completed, it would spell permanent doom for us all. It would be the ultimate Anti-Skylander weapon!

However, that was the last we had heard from the three of them. Last we heard of Eon, which was one year ago, he had said that Kaos' forces were after him, and that he was afraid that he could no longer help us.

A few weeks later, we still had no sign of Eon. But we DID find out where Flynn, Cali, and Hugo were. Intel said that they were on board a prisoner transport ship. They were held captive by trolls. Possibly headed to some sort of inescapable prison Kaos built.

So I hatched a plan. We would free them BEFORE they got to the prison. We charted down the ship's course, and where we should intercept it. We ultimately chose the stealth option, so that Kaos himself wouldn't come directly for us. We only had 126 soldiers. Buzz, Persephone, Mags, Brock, Ermit, Machine Ghost, and Sharpfin were the only ones that could help us.

Plus, we couldn't stay in one place. The Skylander Academy had to find a way to become a mobile headquarters. We NEEDED to stay on the move.

Without our help one year ago, the Mabu Defense Force stood no chance. They lost all courage and surrendered.

But today, we would change all that!

This is our first REAL mission. And now with the SuperChargers by our side, we finally stood a chance.


	2. The Rift To Skylands

The Land Rift opened up, with all eight Land Vehicles emerging. The drivers climbed out, with the vehicles driving back into the rift. Spitfire then put his finger to his earpiece, getting a contact from Spyro.

"Aether to Road Ragers, Aether to Road Ragers, come in Ragers, do you copy?" Spyro said. "Are you in position yet, over?"

"Roger that." Spitfire said. "Awaiting further orders, over."

"Water Weavers, have you made it inside, over?"

"Well, we managed to land in some orange water near a "Cataclytic Cyclotron"." Gill radioed. "At least the ship is headed straight towards it. We'll board it when it heads over."

"..."

"Oh, right, over."

Spyro sighed over the transmission. "Sky Streakers, are you in interception position, over?"

"Yep." Stormblade said. "Just give us the signal, over."

"Megas, are you at the rendezvous point?"

"Wha? HEY!" Tree Rex roared. "I DID NOT AGREE TO CALL US-! Oh, uh, I mean, over." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Sorry about that. Over. And yes, we're at the designated location. Over."

"Mixels, you ready?"

"In position, over." Wash Buckler contacted.

"Crystal Hunters, how about you?"

"Crocced and loaded, over." Snap Shot radioed.

"Alright," Spyro contacted, with all Core Skylanders at his position. "Operation: Boom is go. You all know your mission objectives. Road Ragers, head through the ship and free Flynn, Hugo, and Cali. Do NOT get spotted. Water Weavers, destroy that Cyclotron to get the ship's attention. If they head over to investigate, initiate boarding protocols. Sky Streakers, you're our tickets out of here. Wait for my signal, then head to the fire. Everyone else, on me. If things go south, we'll create a distraction so that the others can complete their missions. Don't abort, repeat, do NOT abort, over!"

And so, the teams set off to complete their designated tasks.

First, the Land SuperChargers stealthily made it through the ship, taking out any guards, such as Chompies, King Chompy The Eighth, Electroclopses, and Shifty Sticklers that were patrolling the area. Eventually making their way through the prison cells, freeing anyone they came across, they managed to meet up with their three targets.

"Alrighty!" Flynn yelled. "The SuperChargers! BO-!"

"SHHH!" Spitfire hissed. "Be quiet! You WANT the guards to arrive?!"

"Uh, no?"

"Okay, we'll bust you out."

Using his blue-fire fingers to melt the lock, Spitfire swiped his claws across it, opening the cell.

"Come on, the nearest exit is just through that door." He pointed. Without hesitation, the team headed outside.

"You know, we should probably free the others as well." Terrafin said as they ran out.

"Then there should be a main flagship controlling the fleet." High Volt said. "We override the controls and get everyone out!"

"Hey guys?" Trig asked. "Since when did Kaos get a new giant metallic floating head that screams?"

"What me-?" Spitfire asked. Then, he and the others fell silent. Before them stood a massive battle station with a vortex in its mouth, sucking everything in!

"Woah…" Cali gasped. "What's happening?!"

"Well, in my expert opinion," Flynn guessed. "I'd say that big floating head thingy is gobbling up the sky!"

"The Sky Eater…" Spitfire said. "That has a nice ring to it. And by nice, I mean not nice at all…"

The massive weapon, IF it even WAS a weapon, let out a horn-like battle cry. It sounded so metallic and menacing.

"This is terrible!" Hugo gasped. "I sure wish Master Eon was here…"

"We haven't heard from him for a year, now!" Eruptor said. "In his message, he said he feared he would be taken captive. But we don't know WHERE he's being held."

"If my suspicions are correct," High Volt said. "That...THING must be powered by one thing, and one thing only: The Darkness itself!"

"How are we supposed to stop Kaos," Hugo whined. "And the Darkness, without Master Eon?!"

"Ah, don't worry about all that, Hugo." Flynn said. "That Sky Eater thing will probably eat us all, first."

"WHAT?!"

"FLYNN!" Cali snapped.

"What, I'm just saying! I mean, look at it."

"Spyro," Spitfire radioed. "Did you get all that?"

"There's a reason we have these things modified to pick up any other noises." Spyro said. "I heard everything, but me and the other Skylanders are definitely seeing it, and NOT believing it!"

"Same here!" Tree Rex said.

"Aye. Us too."

"What you said, mate!"

"Yeah, so I guess everyone's seeing it now." Gill said.

"How was Kaos even able to BUILD that thing?!" Stormblade asked. "Was it a last resort?"

"Well, if you take the Sky out of Skylands," Spitfire said. "There's not really much left!"

"Don't worry, Hugo." Cali was saying. "We're still together. We'll find a way to find Eon and rescue these prisoners! Right, Flynn?"

"That DOES sound a lot better than being eaten." Flynn said. "Although, I'm pretty sure I am delicious. Either way, count me in! BOOM!"

Hugo took one look at the area and gasped.

"Wait a minute, I know where we are!" Hugo yelped. "That's Motley Meadows getting torn apart! Look! Some people are in trouble!"

"WHAT?!" Spyro yelled over the earpiece. "Road Ragers, those are Sharpfin's crew members! Get out there and save them before they get sucked into the Sky Eater!"

"Roger that." Spitfire said. "Land SuperChargers! Roll out!"

With the order given, the Land SuperChargers summoned their vehicles and sped off.

"Hang on! I'm coming!" Spitfire yelled.

Just as the supports gave way and the three workers were sent flying towards the Sky Eater, Spitfire, Trigger Happy, and Fiesta managed to snatch them from the sky.

"Hold on to your sombrero, amigo!" Fiesta laughed. "It's going to be a WILD ride! Arriba!"

"Uh oh!" Trig gulped. "They've spotted us!"

Enemy warships flew over ahead, alarms suddenly blaring.

"It's them! Those SuperCharger guys!"

"Well, let's see them supercharge THIS! Deploy Iron Equalizers!"

Drills rained down, transforming into turrets when hitting the ground. Quickly, the SuperChargers destroyed them!

"GRAH!" The troll yelled. "Deploy ground combat vehicles! Those Skylanders, AND their measly friends, MUST NOT ESCAPE!"

"Yes sir!" The second troll saluted, pressing another button. "They won't get away!"

"Heads up!" Terrafin yelled. "Enemy vehicles!"

"TAKE 'EM DOWN!" High Volt yelled. "THEN REGROUP AT THE FLEET!"

The SuperChargers quickly destroyed the troll vehicles, then sped on out of there! Suddenly, it wasn't long until more enemy ships closed in on them!

"Kaos Cruisers!" Roller Brawl yelled. "Behind us, closing in fast!"

"I got this!" Eruptor yelled. Aiming his vehicle weapon backwards, he fired at the ships, sending them crashing into the ground. As Spitfire sped faster and faster, he noticed an enemy ship just near ground level. He smirked.

Stepping on it, (even though he technically didn't HAVE feet!) Spitfire made his Hot Streak leap onto the ship, ignited his tires ablaze, then drove across the ship! The weight and impact heavily damaged the ship. The Fire Land Vehicle zoomed off as the ship exploded behind it!

Soon, the Land SuperChargers landed in a larger ship. There, they noticed the Sea SuperChargers moving in to engage the Cataclystic Cyclotron and destroy the ship's fuel pumps. Proceeding onwards, as the pit crew began to work on hacking into the escape pods and launch them with the escaped prisoners inside, the Land SuperChargers leaped down a giant valve.

…

"Sea SuperChargers!" Gill Grunt yelled. "Dive, Dive, Dive!"

Following orders, the team submerged to avoid enemy fire.

"Let's get their attention!" Dive-Clops said, firing torpedoes.

Firing at Sea Equalizers, the team managed to destroy them and focus on the Cyclotron.

"Heads up, it's sending in security forces!" Splat yelled.

"**Heh. Nothing I can't handle!" **Nightfall cackled.

"Hey, maybe I can use this orange water in one of my potions!" Pop Fizz observed.

"Focus, Fizzy!" Gill commanded. "We gotta blow up these fuel pipes! This ship's going nowhere fast!"  
"Avoid the underwater propellers!" Splat said. "Destroy all three valves and obliterate the shell!"

Splitting up to get it done faster, the team managed to pierce through and destroy the Cataclystic Cyclotron!

"Okay, team!" Gill said. "Submerge into the center outtake valve and regroup with the others! We don't want to be here when the guards investigate!"

Diving down and through the valve, the team docked and met up with the other SuperChargers.

"Man, this place must need such large amounts of fuel!" Gill said. "If that's not why the liquid's here, I don't wanna know what it's here for!"

"A little change of plans." Spitfire said. "We managed to free our friends and the others, but we saw a giant-."

"Yeah, yeah, we heard everything!" Pop Fizz said. "Now how do we escape?"

"We should get to an upper level." High Volt said. "Spyro and the other non-SuperChargers should be waiting for us.

"Hey, we can use that lift over there!" Trig pointed. As the team rushed over, they heard Moneybone's voice over the radio.

"What's going on on that ship?!" He shouted. "Why are all the escape pods being activated?! Scramble the fighters! It's time we sent our uninvited guests a special message!"

The team got to the top, where they met with the Core Skylanders, the Giants, SWAP Forcers, and Trap Masters.

"We've got Shadow Ships in the air!" Spyro said. "They're pinning us down and blocking all routes of escape!"

"Flynn and the others managed to regain Sharpfin's ship." Snap Shot added. "But they've reported that many of the escape pods are being targeted by those ships! AND the main flagship is about to take off!"

"Alright, here's the plan!" Spyro said. "Everyone who can't fly, get to the flagship before it takes off! Those who CAN, protect those escape pods! I'll send in some reinforcements!"

Spyro took a deep breath, then shot a big fireball into the sky.

…

"That's the signal!" Stealth Elf pointed. "But it's on a different ship!"

"They must have escaped and gotten over there!" Jet-Vac said. "Plus, I think I see escape pods! And the fighters are targeting them!"

"They must have freed other prisoners." Thrillipede said. "And they must be on those pods!"

"_Well, what are we waiting for? Say the word, Squadron Leader!"_ Astroblast saluted.

"With pleasure!" Stormblade smirked. "Sky SuperChargers, let's rock and roll!"

Kicking the engines into full throttle, the five fighters flew into the action! Stormblade thumbs-upped a flying Spyro, who smiled. They all opened fire on the Shadow Ships and Kaos Cruisers!

"Oh man," Spyro laughed. "Now I REALLY regret not being there back at Skyhighlands!"

"You should've seen it, old chum!" Jet-Vac said. "It was so awesome and nostalgic! I just wish we had these sweet rides and SuperCharger pals helping us out them!"

Meanwhile, the epic air battle continued.

"Shadow Ships, 12 'o clock!"

"I see 'em!"

"Kaos Cruiser, on my six! I can't shake 'em!"

"Do a barrel roll!"

Amidst the battle, Stormblade noticed some fighters making attack runs on the Land SuperChargers, with a few passengers, which were driving at full speed towards the main flagship, its thrusters kicking in!

"HURRY! IT'S TAKING OFF!"

"I AM HURRYING! THIS IS AS FAST AS MY CAR CAN GO!"

Deciding to assist, Stormblade came up behind them.

"Heads up!" Smash Hit yelled as a Shadow Ship flew straight towards them, opening fire.

The fire continued, but this time it was from the Sky Slicer, blowing the ship to pieces.

The bird and the fire spirit nodded as they separated, with some the the Land vehicles having to dodge, swerve, bob, and weave through crashed fighter wreckage pummeling the ground!

The cars managed to make it onto the lead flagship, with the Hot Streak being the last, just as it took off! The cars went into the rifts as the SuperChargers took out the pilots and tried to override the controls to free the prisoners on the flagship.

"AH, I can't figure out what button does which!" Eruptor said. "And I don't even have fingers!"

"We'll have to get Flynn!" Spitfire said. "He may not be the best of the best, but he IS a pilot!"

Meanwhile, the Sky SuperChargers were able to destroy the last of the fighters targeting the pods.

"Whew! Well, that was a close one." Stormblade said. "All ships, form up on-."

"Not to alarm you or anything," Flynn said over the ships' radios "But we are currently UNDER ATTACK!"

"HELP, SKYLANDERS!"

Kicking in the thrusters, the team flew in to defend Sharpfin's ship.

_Sharpfin, you should learn by now! _Stormblade thought. _You really need to get defenses on that BLASTED ship of yours! _"Ok, I'm detecting five aircraft making their attack run on the ship! Blow them out of the Sky, 'Landers!"

"Ha! I see what you did there, Storm, ol' chap!" Jet-Vac said. "Consider them blasted!"

Each fighter picked a target and shot them down.

"Thanks, Sky Squadron!" Hugo sighed. "That was a close call! Now we should be clear to-." Suddenly, he noticed something huge coming up behind the ship! "Uh oh!"

"Hey! Can you stop with the uh ohs?" Flynn said. Cali then noticed as well. "Everytime you uh oh, something bad happens!"

"Yeah, something like that!" She pointed.

"AHHH!"

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me!" Stormblade yelled. "A Cannon Ship of Doom?! Those things have heavy AA guns!"

"_There's no way they'll be able to escape!"_ Astroblast stated. "_We gotta take it down!"_

"Right! Target those guns! It can't destroy that ship!"

Moving in to intercept, the team blasted at the turrets, causing a chain reaction that destroyed the ships!

"Whew! That was close!" Flynn sighed.

"Guys, we gained control of the main flagship!" Spitfire contacted. "But we have a little trouble overriding the controls! Get Flynn over here! He'll know what to do!"

"You got it!" Stormblade radioed back. "Bigger ships are more his thing. This baby's more built for exploration than combat, but hey, desperate times, desperate measures. We'll form up an escort for you guys! Pit Crew, once they dock at the flagship, pilot Sharpfin's ship back to the rendezvous point!"

The ship managed to get to the flagship. Taking the helm, Flynn managed to override the controls, freeing the rest of the prisoners, which then got into the escape pods and into freedom. Flynn then commanded the ship and flew on out of there!

"AAAAHHHHH!"

"LOOK OUT!"  
The two Shadow Ships on course for the flagship suddenly crashed into one another.

"Nice work! Mission accomplished!" Spyro said. "Operation Boom was a success! And not only did we free you guys, but also everyone on board all the ships! AND we got our means of making the Academy a mobile base! And speaking of the Academy, let's head back to base!"

…

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The Dark Portal Master Emperor laughed. "YES, YES, FEAR ME! BOW DOWN BEFORE MY DOOMSTATION OF ULTIMATE DOOMSTRUCTION!" He then got off the poor troll holding him up. "Ah, it's a good day, Glumshanks."

"Uh, yeah, Lord Ka-Uh, I mean, Emperor Kaos, sir." Glumshanks said. "I mean, I KNOW this station is fueled by the magic it consumes, but, are you SURE it's supposed to rip big holes in the sky like that?"

"Nonsense!" Kaos said, getting on his throne. "Of course I'm sure!"

"It's, uh, not just the holes, sir. Some of the other trolls have been...complaining…?"

"ABOUT ME?!" Kaos roared. "WHAT DID THEY SAY?! Oh NO NO NO, WAIT! I'VE HAD IT!" He pressed a button to speak on the intercom. "Prepare to eject Barracks B and C!"

"What?! Oh, no! Not about you, sir! It's about the, uh...thing…?" Glumshanks pointed at the giant vial behind Kaos.

"Eh?" Kaos turned to see none other than the Darkness itself behind him. "Don't be so ridiculous, Glumshanks! That's just the-."

"Uh, yes, I know sir! But...haven't you noticed? It's gotten so much...bigger. Plus, I think it's watching me..."

"Oh, you're imagining things, Glumshanks! Now get me Moneybone!"

"Very well. Moneybone on Line 1 for you, sir."

The troll patched in a few commands, then Moneybone appeared on the screen.

"Find out where they took my ship, before Kaos discovers what has happened!" The skeleton was yelling at a troll. It saluted and ran off. That was when Moneybone noticed his boss. "Ah! Emperor! Such a sudden and glorious interruption!"

"You're late with your 30-minute update on the status of my favorite prisoner!" Kaos said. "Is he suffering?"

"Oh, yes, enormously. Your old enemy, Eon, is rotting away in his specially designed Traptanium cell. Nothing will stand in the way of our total victory!"

"Say, don't you mean, MY total victory?!"

"Oh! Of course! How boneheaded of me!"

"Yes, I thought so. Carry on, Moneybone." Kaos then ended the call. He turned back to his butler. "You see that, Glumshanks? THAT is how you handle your minions! Soon, all of Skylands will fear and obey me! And the glorious reign of EMPEROR KAOS, will TRULY begin!" He laughed as the motors on his throne roared with unrelenting fury.

It was only a matter of time...

...

The flagship and her escort soon arrived at the main base of operations.

"This is Sky Squadron Commander Stormblade," Stormblade contacted Buzz. "Requesting permission for myself and wingmen to land, over."

"Permission granted, compadre!" Buzz said.

"Even greater news, Buzzy." Spyro said, landing. "We got the means to get this place mobile!"

"Ha! BOOMSTICKS! Mags, fire the grapple cables!"

The inventor complied, pulling a lever. Giant hooks latched onto the ship.

"One year ago," Buzz began. "Skylander Academy used to stand for safety, security, training, excellency, and super secret ninja commando skills. But in these dark times, people need a symbol of hope. And THAT is just what we're going to be! We need to stay on the move, and keep the Core of Light safe from Kaos at all costs!"

Spyro turned to the Core. It was hard to believe that he had rebuilt that thing 5 years ago. Now, it was all that ever mattered to him. Now more than ever.

"Captain Flynn!" Buzz yelled. "Fire up them engines!"

"You got it! Time for a never-ending test of pure awesome piloting skills, and of course, road trip! BEACON OF HOPE BOOM!"

The flagship's engines roared to full power as it began pulling the Academy.

"Well, I thought we were gonna need MORE than one ship, but I guess that'll do!" Spitfire chuckled.

"Yeah, but there's one problem:" Gill said. "What if the flagship's fuel runs out?"

"Don't worry." Stormblade said. "The Sky Squadron and I will make regular supply runs! And Mags just added the Academy's current location in all of our vehicles' radars!"

"So, what's our next move, Chief?" Flynn said to Spyro.

"What's most important." The dragon answered. "Find Master Eon. If anyone knows what to do in times like this, it's him. And I've heard rumors about a magical dragon at Cloudscraper Mountain that can locate anything or anyone in Skylands! All he needs is an item belonging to that person! Luckily, back when Eon was human, I managed to get this!"

The dragon pulled at a magical staff.

"When we returned to the Ruins after Shattered Island, I found that the only thing left of Eon was his magical Portal Master staff! I never saw him without it! Well, it's a good thing he gave it to me to remember him by if he ever passed away. But I'm not a bipedal being, and I really don't know how to use it. But I'm glad it could be useful for something!"

"Alright. Then it's settled!" Spitfire said. "SuperChargers, plot a course for The Cloudbreather's Crag!"


	3. The Cloudbreather's Crag

With some of the Skylanders staying behind to defend the Academy from possible attacks, Spyro, Fire Kraken, along with the Fire, Water, and Air SuperChargers were sent flying through the giant rift. Meanwhile, Sharpfin's ship, with Flynn, Cali, and Hugo aboard, tailed right behind them.

"How you doing back there, Flynnster?!"

"AAAHHHH! I THINK I JUST ATE MY OWN FACE!"

"We've almost reached the Cloudscraper Mountains!" Spyro said. "But intel states that it's under heavy Kaos control! Nonetheless, we need to ring the summoning gong to awaken the dragon! Fire Kraken, you have Eon's Staff. Don't lose it!"

"Then we liberate it in the process!" Spitfire said. "Okay, exiting rift in 5...4...3...2...1…"

The SuperChargers landed each in a separate part of the mountains.

"Huh. So the rifts take us to the nearest suitable terrain." Spyro said, with the Land SuperChargers just at the village outskirts. "Gill, Storm, report your position."

"Dive-Clops and I seem to be in a flooded village."

"Jet-Vac and are somehow got to the temple on the Cloudbreather's back."

"Okay, we'll come to you guys. Gill, Dive, see what you can do to lower the water level. Storm, Jet, defend the temple from any enemy attacks."

"Woohoo!" Spitfire said. "That NEVER gets old! Right, Flynn? Flynn?"

"I'll never eat britchcho guacamole again...HURP!"

"Now is not the time to get sick." Spyro said. "Okay, here's the plan. Spitfire, Eruptor, get to the gong with Fire Kraken and summon the dragon. I'll help the villagers liberate the mountains and take back their home!"

"You got it! Okay, barf boy! Let's make some noise!"

The two vehicles drove off, with Spyro meeting up with many villagers. They began forming a plan to fight back against the Witch Picthers, Pint-Sized Prodders, Rush Crushers, and Twilight Twisters.

And later, when the revolution had begun, it served as a diversion to allow the SuperChargers more time to complete their missions.

…

"You know the plan!" Spitfire said to Eruptor. "We give that gong a little bong, then we hitch a ride on its back, then head towards the temple!"

"Okay!" Eruptor said. "Plus, I think I'm getting the hand of this!"

"Alright, rookie. Watch and learn!"

As the two continued speeding towards the gong, Sharpfin's ship flew in ahead of them.

"FLYNN! LOOK OUT FOR THE-!"

"The what? AAAHHHH!"

The ship barely had enough time to dodge an oncoming rock pillar.

"Let me guess: you were gonna say big rock."

Boosting at full speed, Spitfire drove up a ramp and slammed into the gong. Doing the trick, the Cloudbreather woke up and flew to the other side of the village, with Kaos' forces chasing after it. Meanwhile, as the revolution was in full swing with Spyro reaching the Fire Skylanders, the Water team was still at the flooded city.

…

"Hmm, seems like the Kaos Empire blocked up all drains." Gill observed. "My best guess, Divey? Blow up the blockages and rally the villagers to our cause!"

"Got it! Locking on and firing torpedoes!"

As the others dodged enemy fire from above, the water duo began avoiding Urchins and shot the three blockages, destroying them and draining most of the village! The irrigation shafts were now clear!

"Alright, now to join the others and get to the temple!"

The team got back together and continued to progress.

"Hey, I think we can use that airship to get over there!" Spitfire noticed. "Okay, I'm not used to flying, but I'll try to get us in close."

Taking the helm carefully, the spirit tried to steer the ship closer, but another enemy ship managed to shoot it down, causing the ship to crash into it and smash into the ground!

"Yep…" Spyro groaned. "That was just like Flynn."

"My bad. Anyway, we're getting closer to the dragon. Time for a little joy ride."

Summoning their Land Vehicles, Spitfire and Eruptor helped to others on board and sped off towards the Cloudbreather.

Being the daredevil he was, Spitfire even made his car jump onto many balloon airships, making them crash into the ground. Ramming into Dragon Hunters, the two continued through Dragon Spine. Then, taking down Blade Buggies and Rocket Riders, the two vehicles jumped onto the Cloudbreather's back and began heading to the temple, blasting down more airships.

Meanwhile, an even greater battle was happening up above…

…

"Those airships are targeting the temple!" Jet-Vac yelled. "We have to defend it!"

"Alright, take down those ships! Let's buy our boys time to get to the dragon!"

The Jet Stream and Sky Slicer began weaving in and out of enemy fire, aiming for the ships, whether balloons or the ships themselves, to destroy them.

After destroying the fleet and many warships, the duo met back up with the others.

As the SuperChargers went to unjam the Gust Gears (which Ermit would DEFINITELY disagree with), Spyro and Fire Kraken rushed up the temple to free the Cloudbreather.

Finally, after an epic struggle, the Skylanders were able to free the Cloudbreather and finally speak to him.

"Greetings, little ones." He bellowed. "What brings you to the Temple of the Cloudbreather Dragon? What brings you to ME?"

"Majestic Cloudbreather," Fire Kraken presented. "The purple dragon seeks his master, the great Portal Master Eon. I bring you his staff, in hopes of locating him."

The giant beast sniffed the staff.

"Such magical energy...yes, this will be enough. The great Eon is trapped beyond the borders of the living...in the Land Of The Undead." He breathed out clouds that showed the location. "Come. I shall return you to your Academy."

…

"So, now we know where Eon is." Spyro said. "But getting there won't be easy. Especially crossing the cosmic barrier."

"The dragon's right." Spitfire said. "Not only is that prison heavily guarded, but out Rift Engines have outputs equivalent to 3.2 jillion thunderbolts."

"Which is not enough to reach that place." Stormblade said. "We need to boost our engines up to ten jillion if we want to get there."

"I know the only thing that can generate such energy." Lightning Rod said. "The Thunderous Bolt. It lies within the Cloud Kingdom. My home. Cali and I will send a message to Queen Cumulus to ask for her help. In the meantime, Mags asked for your all to test out your vehicles so she can get field readings. Safety precautions."

"Alright then." Spitfire cracked his knuckles. "Time for a little test drive!"

…

"So, I bet you've done all the stunts out there, huh Fryno?"

"YEP!"

"Hey, maybe Fryno and I should join the SuperChargers!" Tread Head said. "We've got some rides!"

"Well, these new guys?" Spyro said. "They take it to the next level."

The Skylanders continued watching as the Land SuperChargers continued vehicle training.

Eruptor was able to drive off a ramp and perform a backflip and land perfectly.

"Ha. Weak." Spitfire laughed. "My turn!"

The Hot Streak sped up towards the ramp…

And sped straight into the sky!

"..."

"Wait, is that him?" Cynder pointed into the distance. A blue spot crashed into a massive rock formation.

"OOOHHHHH!" Most of the Skylanders flinched.  
"Yeah, THAT'S gotta hurt!"

"He'll feel THAT one in the morning!"

"Hey, look!"

The Hot Streak had recovered and continued speeding!

"WOW! He actually landed that!"

Roller Brawl performed a few donuts. Trig just laughed.

"ME NEXT! MEMEMEME! EYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Trig began doing donuts so fast that he kicked up a sandnado! A poor sheep bleated as it was sent flying.

The SuperChargers later practiced at the Academy's beachside, with the Hot Streak, Gold Rusher, Stealth Stinger, Dive Bomber, Shark Tank, Burn-Cycle, Sky Slicer, Jet Stream, Reef Ripper, and Splatter Splasher all at full speed.

Spyro noticed the stunts they even pulled off! Trig was using his tongue to hang on the the Gold Rusher, Stealth Elf was on top of the Stealth Stinger when it was upside down, Dive-Clops was barrel rolling, and Spitfire was getting the most height.

The vehicle training continued onwards (yes, they even tested the weapons) until Mags had enough readings.

Meanwhile, Cali and Lightning Rod were contacting Queen Cumulus via the Academy's Hologizer.

"Well of course, fellow storm giant." Cumulus said. "I am more than happy to help the underprivileged, especially in times like these. Simply dispatch a team of yours to retrieve the Thunderous Bolt at your early convenience."

"Thanks, you highness." Cali said. "We're on our way." She turned off the Hologizer.

"Well, Zeus," Spyro said. "It's time for you to go home."


	4. The Cloud Kingdom

"So, this is the legendary Skylantis." Jet-Vac said in awe. "Otherwise known as The Cloud Kingdom."

"Indeed." Lightning Rod said. "It has been 5 years since I have been here last. Much has changed." He then noticed the many statues of himself. "Yet some have not."

"Welcome back, Lightning Rod." Queen Cumulus introduced herself to Spyro, Jet-Vac, Stormblade, Gill Grunt, Dive-Clops, High Volt, Trigger Happy, Cali, and Flynn. "You know, we had the bolt all ready for you, but then Kaos' forces arrived and, well, promised us 'safety' if we joined him."

"Hopefully, you did not." The fellow storm titan said.

"No. Naturally, most of us thought that this was an absolutely horrid idea."

"MOST of us?!"

"Well, one of us, Lord Stratosfear, is a little more concerpentive. He had a dissenting opinion. So, we're having a bit of a kerfuffle."

Suddenly, thunder ran all across the kingdom!

"Uh, so to speak…"

"Stratosfear!" Lightning Rod shouted. "That traitor!"

"Foolish lowlanders!" The storm giant yelled out. "Only Kaos can preserve the Cloud Kingdom! But if you wish so badly for the power of the Thunderous Bolt, then come and take it!"

More lightning cracked the sky. Many guards then came rushing to Cumulus.

"My Queen!" One gasped. "Enemy transport ships have begun landing and invading our city! They're filled with disgusting trolls! They're bringing in Inflatrators, Meteo-Trolligists, Storm Spawners, and Bitning Bugs!"

"Inflatrators?! Those cloud-eating trolls?! Oh my!"

"That's not all!" The second one said. "Stratosfear has also deployed a Storm Sequencer near the market! It's guarded by Crustation Crashers and Ship Sinkers!"

"And he's summoned a terrible fog!" A third guard said. "It's much bigger than usual! We'll need to use the Stormhorns at the plaza to clear it!"

"Don't worry, your highness!" Spyro said. "We're Skylanders! We know just what to do! Air team, you take down those transport ships! Water warriors, destroy that Storm Sequencer! Everyone else, get to the plaza, clear the fog, then go after Stratosfear and get that Thunderous Bolt back! And be careful when moving through the fog. Enemy forces could ambush you."

"With pleasure, dragon." Lightning Rod began billowing with thunderous rage. "Stratosfear was NEVER one to trust the underclass! Today, he will learn what happens to those who threaten my home!"

And with that, the teams rushed off!

"May the light protect you." Queen Cumulus blessed.

…

"Okay, I'm getting nine transport ships!" Stormblade said. "JV, lock and load!"

"Copy that, commander. Let's give these trolls a taste of the Sky Baron Squadron!"

_Man, I REALLY need an official name for my Sky team. _Stormblade thought.

"Heads up, enemy reinforcements!"

"I see them! Open fire!"

The two aircraft shot down the troll fighter planes that were defending the transports. Leading into an aerial pursuit that led into the Cloud Factory. Despite being shocked at how sheep wool was used to create clouds, Jet-Vac had no time to hesitate. Pursuing the remaining ship through unstable weather, the two ships managed to shoot down the last ship and make it out of the storm!

"Alright, that's the last of them!"

"Follow me! We're regrouping with the others!"

The two ships then flew back into the kingdom. Meanwhile, the foot team were getting closer and closer to the plaza.

…

"Looks like the doors are harmonically locked. Guess we should ring the bells to say hello!"

High Volt rang four times, and the gates opened. There, Stratosfear confronted them again.

"You Skylanders don't belong up here!" He bellowed. He then used the Thunderous Bolt to charge up the Storm Sequencer as the Water SuperChargers sped towards it.

…

"Uh oh!" Flynn gulped over the radio. "That looks like about ten bajillion gigavolts of angry right there!"

"Then let's give it FIFTY bajillion gigavolts of AWESOME!" Dive-Clops said.

"Storm Sequencer in sights." Gill reported. "Moving in for attack run! Watch out for enemy naval blockades!"

"Heads up! Looks like it can fight back!"

The Reef Ripper and Dive Bomber avoided electric shockwaves, water waves, underwater spinning blockades, and missiles.

"Dang it! This thing's got a force field!"

"It's not the only one! Those ships are armored to the teeth!"

"I have an idea! Make the Sequencer's lightning missiles hit them!"

Diving under, the two were able to make the missiles penetrate the ships, overload their defenses, and destroy them. It was then that the force field short-circuited and went offline.

"Alright, Stratos!" Gill said. "You want lightning?! I'll give you lightning!" The Reef Ripper got in close to the Storm Sequencer and set out an electric pulse, making it short-circuit even more and go offline!

"Haha, YES! It lost power!"  
"Yeah, but we can't seem to destroy it. Better head back to the others. Maybe those electric barriers have been shut down as well."

The two set sail back to the mainland. At this time, the team had managed to get to the plaza.

…

"Alrighty, Lighty." Spyro smirked. "Care to do the honors?"

Lightning Rod took a deep breath, then blew the air from his mighty lungs, making the Stormhorns clear the fog.

"It is done. Now there is only one thing left to do." Lightning Rod said. "Confront the usurper-to-be of the throne and take that staff! Spitfire! Bring me to him."

Hopping on board the Shield Striker, Lightning Rod went face-to-face with his new enemy.

"You wish to challenge me, traitor?" Stratosfear laughed. "I was born to rule the skies! You shall pay for joining the underclass dogs!"

"No, Stratosfear," Lightning Rod said. "It is YOU who shall pay. FOR BETRAYING THE CLOUD KINGDOM!"

The two storm giants took to the air, with Stratosfear having a vehicle to help him gain the advantage.

"You would think me a fool to fight alone." Lightning Rod said. "Volt! You shall provide ground assistance!"

"Very well." High Volt said. "I will defend, you will attack."

Lightning Rod then flew up after Stratosfear, who began firing lightning at the titan, who threw bolts back at him. On the track below, High Volt steered the Shield Striker out of the way of lightning spheres, bringing up his shield if he couldn't make it. He then fired more bolts at the flying vehicle, stunning Stratosphere.

"GAH! Traitorous Titan! I have had enough of you and you underclassed lowlanders! THIS ENDS NOW!"

"Indeed it shall!"

High Volt dealt with other enemy aircraft while Lightning Rod charged up his Wow Pow. Firing at Stratosfear, Lightning Rod watched as the purple giant tumbled to the floor, met by Cumulus and her guards.

"We shall take care of Stratosfear, Lightning Rod." Queen Cumulus said. "The Thunderous Bolt, however, is yours."

"You have my thanks, my queen. Throw this traitor in the dungeon."

And with that, Rod and the others headed back to the Academy.

…

"Alright, all ten of all vehicles have been supercharged with ten jillion thunderbolts!" Spitfire said. "Now, who's ready to free a Portal Master?"

"I am!" Fiesta chimed in. "That muy, muy bad Count Moneybone will get a whopping for duping me! Time to break into his casa!"

"I'm pretty sure he speaks for all of us." Spyro smirked.

"Alright. Let's ride!"


	5. Land Of The Undead

"Well, this is the place." Roller Brawl said.

"Si." Fiesta added. "Looks like Senor Moneybone had built an entire prison here! Senor Eon might not be the only one in danger."

"Well, you got that right." Spyro said. "Nightfall, Astroblast, what are your coordinates?" He then contacted.

"**Prisoners are trying to escape via gigantic water drainage pipe, but the water's being blocked up. Just like Cloudscraper Mountains."**

"_More are trying to escape as well. They hijacked prisoner transport ships, but guards are pinning them in place with grappler beams."_

"See what you two can do to help at your own locations. The Undead SuperChargers and I are going after Eon."

"Hmm, looks like those gates somehow change gravity." Roller Brawl observed. "This place really is wacko."

"Call me crazy," Flynn added. "But I don't think this Moneybone fella is on the up-and-up! I mean, look at this place! It's nothing like the brochure!"

"*Gulp* You're right." Funny Bone said. "This place is scary! And no laughing matter! Couldn't we just go to the After Party instead?"

"We wouldn't find Eon THERE, wouldn't we?" Spyro asked.

"That gate looks pretty heavy." Cali said. "I might be able to find some explosives nearby."

"Don't worry, an old friend of mine will be helping ya here." Flynn said. "Remember Softpaw?"

"You told me and Hugo everything about Woodburrow." Cali said. "As we told Hugo about Arkus. If he helped you sneak into a fortress, he could help you sneak in here!"

Managing to find the explosives, Fiesta managed to get the barrel near the door, light the gunpowder, and blow the gate open!

"Okay, amigos. If I know prisons, there should be guards. Moneybone should have this place crawling with Spot Bites, Blaster Casters, Spin-Offs, and Bone Chompies. Oh yeah, and Security Saws, Sky Shadows, Elite Electroids, and Oblitorators as pursuit vehicles. Now, let's bust out all the senors and senoritas we can find!"

And with that, Softpaw's Operation Little Lost Sheep And Spirit Extraction Sequence was underway! After journeying through most of the prison, the duo's land vehicles were summoned and they sped off further inside the prison, breaking down the front door.

"Huh." Flynn said over the radio. "You think slamming that prison gate would set of some kind of alarm."

It was then that red lights blared everywhere!

"ATTENTION, INTRUDERS. PLEASE PULL OVER, STOP YOUR VEHICLE, AND PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR."

"You were saying?!"

"Ay-yi-yi!" Fiesta yelped as several vehicles surrounded him. "SOCORRO! POR FAVOR, SOCORRO!"

"Hang on!" Roller Brawl kicked it into full throttle and bashed the pursuit vehicles.

"Gracias, Senorita! Por favor, save the 'de nada' for later, no?"

"Uh...okay?"

As they proceeded deeper into the detention center and avoided spotlights, Spyro flew overhead, getting notice of a sleek starfighter intercepting security ships.

…

"_Fear not, innocents!" _Astroblast said. "_I, Captain Astroblast of the U.S.S Sun Runner, fastest starfighter in the galaxy, am here to save you! Take THAT, evildoers!"_

Astroblast fired his rapid lasers at the ships, defending the first group of the two transports.

_Hmm, that was actually pretty good. _The Light SuperCharger thought. _Note to self: Use heroic captain identity and U.S.S part of already cool ship name more often. _Then, he noticed the second wave.

His radar beeped with warning, indicating an enemy fighter was on his tail and locking on!

"_Haha! It will take more than THAT to make her go down!" _Astroblast said as he looped over the ship, making the missile hit another one by accident. In the same instant, he had looped behind the ship and blasted it!

"_Oh yeah! That's right, eat red hot space laser, suckers!"_

Successfully defending the second group, Astroblast noticed something off about the nearby statue.

"Hey! That creepy statue thingy is waking up!" Flynn radioed.

"_Looks like it sealed the way out!" _Astroblast replied. "_Looks like I'll have to dock to blow it up!"_

After landing near the statue, Astroblast climbed out and readied his pistol, blasting at any guards that came near him. Finding explosives, he placed them near the statue, then flew out of there as it exploded!

After defending a third group, the last of them, Astroblast flew back to the rendezvous point and met up with the others.

…

Meanwhile, Nightfall was trying to find the blockage.

"**Ah, there you are…"**

Firing the Abyss Cannon, Nightfall was able to destroy the giant blockage, allowing the Mabu to ride the whirlpool out of there!

As Nightfall met up with the others, Roller Brawl, Spyro Fiesta, and Funny Bone sped up the tower to confront Moneybone.

"Well, if it isn't Kaos' crush, his old enemy, MY old enemy, and my former employee." Moneybone chuckled. "Although designed for just one prized prisoner, my luxury Traptanium penthouse suite can perfectly fit MORE."

"We are not here to discuss business!" Roller Brawl said. "Release Master Eon, or we'll break your money-filled bones…"

"Yeah! And I'm gonna chew on 'em!" Funny Bone added.

"You must be muy loco to work for Kaos!" Fiesta said. "Now make like a scared gato and vamoose!"

"Oh, he has other plans for him." Moneybone laughed, hopping into his battle vehicle.

"So do we." Spyro hissed. "Now hand him over before we beat you again."

"Well, then," Moneybone said. "Ready yourself for battle, Skylanders, and prepare to wallow in a _foot_bath of epic failure! En garde, and start your engines!"

The vehicles charged forward, with the Tomb Buggy's razor-bladed wheels slashing at Moneybone when jumping and the Crypt Crusher sending out amigos to pound on his vehicle.

Using Perspective Gates to their full advantage, Spyro and Funny Bone were at the top right, Roller Brawl at the top left, and Fiesta at the bottom with Moneybone. The trio added assisting fire while dealing with more guards. Fiesta dodged fire from Moneybone's vehicle: both actual fire and ammo from his weapon.

It was a long and gruel battle, but eventually, Moneybone was nearly defeated!

"Fiesta, NOW!"

"QUE TENGAS UN BUEN DIA, CUENTA EL DINERO!"

With one final blow, Fiesta defeated his old boss, and the Skylanders were able to free Master Eon at last!

"Alright, Master." Spyro said. "Once we get back to the Academy, we'll have the Trap Masters bust that crystal open!"

…

"Wait, wait!" Kaos roared. "What I fail to understand, Moneybone, is how you botched the one job, THE ONE JOB YOU HAD, to keep that old fool Eon locked up!"

"It was those Skylanders!" Moneybone reported. "And their new SuperCharger allies! There was nothing I could do! I tried to stop them, but they were terribly heroic."

"Enough! Is there anything else?"

"Actually, now that you mention it…"

Kaos hung up the call.

"BAH! It matters not." He growled. "I'll have my next general, the Dream Sheep, track them down and get rid of them for go-!"

"**Kaaaaoooooossssss…"**

"EH?! WHA?! WHO-WHO SAID THAT?! WHO'S THERE?!" Kaos whirled around, showing something he hadn't shown in a long time.

Fear.

"**Kaaaaaaooooooooossssssss….."**

Kaos slowly made his way into the main chamber.

"Who dares speak to Emperor Kaos uninvited?!" He demanded. "Show yourself! Immediately!"

"**It is I…" **The voice continued. "**I am what stands before you…."**

Kaos gasped. The Darkness within the giant vial seemed different. It was taking on its first form, a mist of black ominous clouds…

Then, red eyes shot open!

"AAHH!" Kaos gasped.

"**It is I. I am The Darkness itself."**

"Y...Y…You're sentient!" Kaos gasped. "You're alive!"

"**At last, we finally meet." **The Darkness spoke, in a low, dark tone. "**I understand that over five years, you had a few setbacks in conquering this world."**

"What?! Uh, there's no setbacks!" Kaos said. "Everything's fine here! JUST fine!"

"**You need not worry. You have me by your side. Everything will soon turn permanently in your favor."**

"It is?"

"**Indeed. This world is only just the beginning. Once you fully conquer Skylands, it will open new paths. Soon, every single world in the universe will be yours for the taking."**

"The whole universe?! For me?!"

"**Indeed. All you have to do is keep your machine running. Let me consume more magic. Soon, everyone is going to fear and obey the power of The Darkness."**

…

"Alright, Wallop!" Snap Shot ordered. "Care to do the honors?"

"Ha! With pleasure!"

Smashing his twin Traptanium hammers against the crystal, Wallop was able to smash it to pieces, freeing Master Eon!

"_Greetings, Skylanders!" _Eon said. "_I knew that even in these dark times, you would never surrender. You fought on even without me. But now that you have released me, we now have a TRUE chance at overthrowing Kaos!"_

"So, any idea how we beat this 'Sky Eater' thing?" Spyro asked.

"_It is not the Sky Eater itself we should worry about," _Eon advised. "_But what resides within: The Darkness. As long as the Core of Light remains actives, The Darkness shall stay in that Doomstation. But it is only a matter of time...we must act quickly."_

Meanwhile, as Spyro and Hugo were figuring out more from Eon, Sharpfin noticed a large airship land at the Academy.

"Oh no…" The shark sighed. "Pandergast!"

"ATTENTION, RACEFANS!" The host, via hologizer, roared from the zeppelin. "THE SKYLANDS SPEEDWAY IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS! ARE YOU READY TO CLAIM FAME AND GLORY AMONG THE MOST SKILLED FLYERS, DIVERS AND DRIVERS IN SKYLANDS! ARE YOU DARING TO CONQUER THE MOST DANGEROUS ROADS, SEAS, AND SKIES IN ALL OF SKYLANDS?! IF THE ANSWER IS YES, HEAD ON DOWN TO RACELANDIA, WHERE SPEED, THRILL, EXCITEMENT, AND ADVENTURE AWAIT!"

"Ah, this guy sounds promising!" Spitfire said. "When this is all blown over, I'm gonna qualify and race in his events! Anyone else who wants to try when we all save the world, you'll know where I'll be."

"Guys, I've got a plan from Eon." Spyro said. "The Darkness' history and defeat are chronicled in a few books in the Spell Punk Library. Problem is, that library is as huge as the one here. AND cursed. Luckily, Sharpfin told me that he knew a guy that could help us navigate through that labyrinth of a library. Calls himself Spellslamzer. He's the champion of an arena island in Motleyville called BattleBrawl Island. Anyone who defeats him is granted one wish. So, anyone ready for a fight?"

Terrafin threw aside his rocket launcher and cracked his knuckles.

"Aw yeah! NOW WE'RE TALKING!"


	6. BattleBrawl Island

Spyro, Terrafin, Spitfire, Night Shift, Star Strike and Jawbreaker were transported to the island by Flynn, Cali, and Sharpfin.

"Now THIS is my kinda place!" Terrafin smiled. "I'll beat that punk with my own two hands!"

"That explains why you didn't want to bring your rocket launcher."

"Hey, I'm no cheater!"

"Sharpy says that there are no rules here." Spyro said. "You CAN use weapons if you want to."

"Oh. Well, this works too!"

"I thought you were best at racing, Spitty." Jawbreaker said.

"Well, I know how to handle myself in a fight."

"No rules, huh?" Night Shift smiled. "Finally, a ring where teleportation ISN'T banned! Just like the good old days!"

"Who knows? Maybe we can use this place for more training!" Spyro added.

Sneaking inside, the ship was pulled around the back.

"Alright, it's up to you guys to battle your way to that spell punk!"

"You got it." Spyro said. "You guys? Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show."

"Never thought I'd be back in Motleyville again." Terrafin said. "Good thing it's run by Baron Sharpfin now!"

After a little gearing up, the five fighters got onto the lift and into the ring of the Champion Crusher Colosseum. There, Terrafin met an old face…

"WHAT THE?! BARON VON SHELLSHOCK?! What's HE doing here?! What got HIM the nerve?!"

"I don't think he's working for Kaos anymore." Spyro added. "Quiet! He's saying something!"

"Greeting, my esteemed Schurken Knodel and Velkommen to my ring of rumble and tussles!"

Looking around, Spyro noticed where Flynn, Cali, and Sharpfin were sitting. Flynn was the one with the most snacks from the concession stand, with popcorn and soda and even corn dogs.

"Today," Shellshock continued. "Our reigning krieger of calamity and ruckus, zee mighty Spellslamzer, vill take on all challengers, in a no-holds-barred, vinner-take-all, BRAWL TO ZEE WALL! But before such an honor can be bestowed on the challengers, zhey must fight zeir way up zee ladder! Now, approaching the BattleBrawl stage for Round 1, zee combustible calamity of zee Fired-Up Frontman, Brimstone! And his companion, who vill truly make his enemies feel zee beat when zhey face zee Ponderous Power of the Percussion Ponder, Boulders! BattleBrawlers, FIGHT!"

"Fire and Earth Geargolems! Slightly different this time!" Spyro said. "Alright, Spitfire, Night Shift, you take on Brimstone! Terrafin, Jawbreaker, deal with Boulders! Star Strike and I'll provide aerial cover fire for both of you!"

The team was able to easily best the duo, even if they put up such a fight!

The Skylanders advanced to Round 2, where they fought Captain Bristlestache. The pirate ultimately fell as well.

Finally, it was time for Round 3, with the Skylanders facing the champion himself: Spellslamzer!

"Let me hazard a guess…" Spellslamzer whispered eerily. "You've come for a favor, yes? Information? Of course. Well, this is BattleBrawl, so let's see if you've got what it takes to make me talk!"

The Skylanders began fighting the spell punk, with Spitfire handling his own against him. After some serious blows, the spell punk realized he needed a trump card.

"Well, you know what they say: If you can't win, cheat!"

He then cast the Skylanders and himself, much to everyone's shock, far away from the arena.

…

"Ow...Hey, where are we?" The Skylanders found themselves in a snowy mountain.

"Welcome to my Nightmare Realm." Spellslamzer taunted. "You're completely under my power here."

"There he is! GET 'EM!" Terrafin yelled.

The team managed to lay a few more smackdowns before Spellslamzer brought them back to the arena.

"Enough of this! I'll finish you in front of everyone!"

The fighters kept at it until the spell punk was ultimately defeated!

"UND THE VINNERS ARE...ZEE CHALLENGERS!"

"Alright, Spell Slammed. Time to get you back to the Academy for your interrogation."

…

"So, you seek the locations of the books telling the stories of The Darkness, yes?" Spellslamzer laughed. "Very well. They are in the Halls Of The Ancients section of the Spell Punk Library, etched in the living pages of Light and Dark."

"Woah, woah, woah!" Flynn said. "You mean we gotta read all this stuff?! Isn't there a movie version?"

"Oh, you'll have to do more than read." Spellslamzer poofed away.

"Hmm, why do I get the feeling he's not telling us something?"

"Well, we've got what we need." Spyro said. "Come on, guys. Let's head to that library!"


	7. Spell Punk Library

"Wow, look at all these books!" Hugo gasped. "This place is incredible! I could stay here forever!" With him were Flynn, Cali, Sharpfin, Smash Hit, Spyro, Eruptor, Scorp, Gill Grunt, Dive-Clops, High Volt, Splat, Spitfire, Stormblade, and the Giants.

"Stay focused, Hugo." Cali said. "We're here for one thing. To figure out how to stop the Darkness! And be careful, this is no ordinary library."

"Come on, Cali." Flynn sighed. "It's just a bunch of stupid moldy books! This is the most boring quest ever!"

Suddenly, the book glowed...and Flynn was sucked right in!

The book flopped around, with Flynn's muffled screams coming from it! The team scrambled to get it back!

"Gotcha!" Sharpfin grabbed the book and pried it open, sending a traumatized Flynn tumbling out.

"You see?!" He yelled. "And THAT'S why I don't read!"

"Hey, take a look at the title!" Spyro pointed out. "The Coming Of The Darkness. By Pomfrey Lefuzzbottom. Well, I think we found our answers!"

"You did? I mean, of course you did!" Flynn said. "You know, I gotta admit, that first chapter really pulls you in."

"Not so boring now, isn't it?" Spyro said. "Alright, guys. Find more of these books and hop on in!"

…

_The Coming Of The Darkness_

_By Pomfrey Lefuzzbottom_

_Book 1: The Darkness_

_Before creating the portals, the Ancients explored the universe using magical relics called Rift Engines. But, in their haste to spread the light of Skylands to other worlds, they created a powerful Rift Engine that opened a door to a forbidden world, and unleashed a destructive force into Skylands: The Darkness._

_Centuries later, in the age of the Portal Masters, the first Skylanders, the Giants, had become the greatest champions the world had ever known. No enemy or debris could stand before their might. Not even the ruthless Arkeyan Empire could stand before them!_

_But The Darkness was still out there, somewhere, laying in wait…_

_Suddenly, tremors and aftershocks rumbled throughout the land, as Pain Glasses emerged to face the Giants. Some great evil was being conjured in the Arcane Keep of the Spell Punks! The devious Spell Punks had unearthed the very same cursed relic that had allowed The Darkness into Skylands centuries ago: The Dark Rift Engine!_

_The Spell Punks had to be stopped before they could use its power to awaken The Darkness! But the way to the citadel had grown treacherous. Danger sprang from the shadows! The Spell Punks were drawing magic from the Dark Rift Engine, feeding power to The Darkness. The Giants fought their way through the danger, charging into the mouth of the Spell Punk Keep! _

_Then, without warning, all of Skylands began to quake, and a wave of fear swept over the land, as a great and terrible shadow erupted from the keep!_

"_**BEHOLD, SKYLANDS!" **__It bellowed in a deep and malevolent voice. _"_**I HAVE RETURNED! ALL SHALL FEAR AND OBEY ME! I...AM...THE DARKNESS!"**_

…

_The Coming Of The Darkness_

_By Pomfrey Lefuzzbottom_

_Book 2: Charge Of The First Light Squadron_

_As the power of The Darkness grew, the marauding forces that served it took control of the skies and terrorized the land! All hope seemed lost, until a ragtag group of pilots was assembled with a single impossible goal: To hold back the encroaching evil and give the good people of Skylands a chance to escape to safety._

_This First Light Squadron took to the skies in defiance of all odds to meet this threat head on! The Darkness, underestimating our heroes, sent out a small group of fighters to crush them. After they were brought down, it was sorely disappointed. The Darkness, enraged at the squadron's continued success, brought more of its armada into battle._

_But the First Light Squadron was undeterred. These enemies too would fall before the might of these brave pilots._

_The Dark Forces were relentless in their attack. But the First Light Squadron was determined to destroy the dark gallion and cripple the armada once and for all! _

_The First Light Squadron dispatched these foes with authority and continued their quest. But The Darkness was cunning and called forth the Darkness Command Ship to vanquish the squadron's hopes. Thus began the final charge of the First Light Squadron._

_The armada of darkness fell that day to a heroic ragtag group of pilots who refused to accept that their quest was impossible. Their courage would inspire all to rise up against the power of The Darkness._

…

_The Coming Of The Darkness_

_By Pomfrey Lefuzzbottom_

_Book 3: The Ancients' Plan_

_The war of The Darkness had nearly been lost as all of Skylands was being held in its terrible grip. But there was one chance. A mythical device built by the Ancients to combat The Darkness had been discovered. It was called the Core Of Light._

_But finding its location would be the most dangerous mission of them all. The blazing forests ahead were filled with Creeping Dark, not to mention the likes of Water, Life, and Fire Spell Punks alike; servants of The Darkness. As for The Darkness itself, it knew the Core of Light would be its end, and so, it attacked! Its dark power was beyond comprehension! It shattered mountains and bridges with casual disdain. The Darkness' rage was earth-shaking and all-consuming, for it knew that in order for its power to grow, the Core of Light must stay hidden. _

_Undaunted, even in the face of this great evil, the Giants continued the quest! The Darkness called forth its evil minions to do its terrible bidding. But they would fall before the Giants like Chompies and Arkeyans._

_The Darkness grew desperate. Again and again it attacked with renewed fury, only to be turned back by the brave titanic Skylander Giants! _

_And then, after a long journey, The Lost Citadel Of The Portal Masters (which would become nothing but Ruins when the Core of Light was destroyed 10,000 years later) had been reached! The radiant purity of the Core of Light had been found at last! But in the distance, The Darkness raged on…_

…

_The Coming Of The Darkness_

_By Pomfrey Lefuzzbottom_

_Book 4: The Hydra_

_Servants of The Darkness, most notably Dark Portal Masters, Portal Masters that had fallen before its terrible power, were known for keeping a lethal menagerie of creatures and beasts. None was more terrifying than the multi-headed monstrocity known as the Hydra. Hydras appetite for both food and destruction was without limit. Dark Portal Masters, in an effort to appease their favorite pets, gathered all the food in Skylands and dropped it in the sea. The people, hungry and deprived of all sustenance, called on their heroes, the Skylanders, for aid. _

_Thumpback, the Giant Skylander of Water, heedless of danger, dove into the shadows and endless depths of the sea to face the Hydra. But the lair of this Hydra was fraught with peril, danger, and explosive proximity mines. _

_But the Hydra was not the only dangerous creature in this deep sea. Ravenous Hydra Hatchlings hid, coiled in the rocks and would strike without warning! The fabled Fracture Fish foul falls, swam these waters briefly. _

_Ever deeper into the abyss the Skylander traveled. Finally, Thumpback descended into the lair of the Hydra. There, was the pilfered food! Without hesitation, the big blue whale snatched up the food in his gigantic gaping maw, being ever so careful not to accidentally swallow it._

_Suddenly, the sea rumbled and quaked as the Hydra woke! Its heads lashed out in rage! The Skylander was cornered! Thinking fast, he swung his massive anchor at the wall his back was against, revealing a secret passage out of the lair! _

This food is too important to risk! _Thumpback thought as he swam as fast as he could out of there, the Hydra hot on his heels! Faster and faster the Skylander swam, but the Hydra's speed was incredible! It churned the water into a swirling foam, gaining and gaining on Thumpback!_

_But just up ahead! That geyser! Could it?!_

_YES! IT COULD!_

_The various and many jaws of the Hydra snapped at the jets of water in frustration! It had been robbed of its prize and vengeance! _

_Thumpback returned the stolen food to the people of Skylands, thwarting this creature of darkness._

…

_The Coming Of The Darkness_

_By Pomfrey Lefuzzbottom_

_Book 5: The Core of Light_

_The forces of good had discovered the hidden location of the Core Of Light. But they soon realized that the Ancients had never completed this great machine; A secret, that to this day has been forgotten! But with The Darkness closing in for the final blow, they had no choice! They would power up the Core and risk everything in a final battle and they would hope that even an incomplete Core of Light would be enough to keep The Darkness at bay._

_The Giants, with the help of special Rift Engine powered Land Vehicles, sped into action! There was only one chance: An all-out attack to drive The Darkness towards the Core itself! But The Darkness would not go easily. It laid snares and traps for the eight heroes. However, they would not be halted! Desperate, The Darkness unleashed its full power! Its dark might seared the sky, tearing across the land! _

_Their battle echoed across Skylands, trading blows that shattered islands in their wake! Inch by inch, The Darkness was pushed back, until it was in range of the Core! Then, its glorious light filled the sky!_

_With the Core of Light holding it at bay, The Darkness was forced to flee and hide in the deepest and darkest parts of Skylands once again._

_But for how long?_

_One day, it will return for its revenge. In order to destroy the Darkness once and for all, the secret to completing the Core of Light and unleashing its true power must be found!_

_This will be my life's work._

…

"Oh yeah!" Tree Rex boomed. "I remember all that now! Like it was only yesterday!"

"Guys, I'm not really sure if you noticed," Scorp said. "But while you were in the books, the Dream Sheep came over and tried to destroy the books while you were still in them! Poor Hugo was cowering like mad!"

"Good thing we stopped him!" Smash Hit said. "There was also books about escaping after grabbing treasure and fighting waves of enemies, but what kind of info would THOSE have?!"

"The Second Light Squadron…" Stormblade whispered. "Yeah, that could work! I like it!"

"Man, that was intense!" Gill panted. "Next time, Thumpy, WARN me that a hydra is gonna eat me!"

"So, the Core of Light was never MEANT to be a shield! Well, we know how to stop The Darkness." Spyro smiled. "Let's get the book and regroup back at the Academy!"

…

"_If anyone knows how to turn the Core of Light into a weapon," _Eon said. "_It is Pomfrey Lefuzzbottom. You must seek out the author of those books!"_

"Well, what are we waiting for?!" Flynn yelled. "Let's go find this Pom-Pom Fuzzybottom guy and turn the Core of Light into the most awesome weapon ever!" He struck a pose.

SQUAWK!

"..."

"Wow, Flynn. I didn't know you spoke bird."

"Uh, that wasn't me."

Then, the team noticed a familiar face.

"TESSA!" Wash Buckler called out. "I haven't seen you since The Ultimate Weapon!"

"Uh, I don't think she's supposed to fly in these winds…"

Suddenly, Whiskers crash-landed onto the Academy!

"Hopefully the bird broke her fall." Flynn said.

"Are you okay?!" Spyro asked as he flew over.

"I'm fine." Tessa said. "Woodburrow was under attack by the Sky Eater. I had to evacuate everyone. I'm not sure if it's still even here or not..."

"Well, you chose wisely to come help." Spyro said.

"Let me get you up to speed." Flynn said charmingly.

_Oh no. _Spyro gulped.

"It all started with an enchilada…"

…

"...and THAT'S how I managed to get the book back to the Academy!"

"UGH! Finally, it's over!" Spyro groaned. "Hugo, any sign of Lefuzzbottom's whereabouts?"

"Yes! According to a passage in his final book, he planned to retire to Gadfly Glades to work in solitude!"

"Alright then." Spyro turned to Flynn. "Get the ship ready. Time to bring an author out of retirement."


	8. Gadfly Glades

The Collector kicked the door open.

"GOOD MORNING EVERYONE TIME TO RISE AND BE SHINY!" She said to her preciouses, running up to them with super speed. "YOU'RE ALL LOOKING COOL AND SPARKLY TODAY!"

Flynn, Tessa, Wrecking Ball, Hex, Bushwhack, Bumble Blast, Stealth Elf, Thrillipede, Terrafin, Smash Hit, Gill Grunt, Dive-Clops, and the Giants all looked confused.

"Uh, who are you talking to?" Flynn asked.

"OHIMJUSTTALKINGTOMYCOLLECTIONTHEYGETSOLONELYANDBOREDSOICOMEAROUNDTOSEETHEM!" The Collector answered. "WAIT, ARE YOU VISITORS?!"

"Uh, yeah." Tessa said. "We're looking for someone na-."

"IHAVENATTYBUMPOSDINNERPLATE,THEFOOTOFARGUS,TWOCURSEDMALEFORSKYSTONES,SPOILERALERT,DON'TTOUCH,ANINNERMINT,ANORIGINALROBOTOBALL,BLINDBEARD'SLEFTARM-!"

"ANYWAY!" Stealth Elf interrupted, "We were told that Pomfrey Lefuzzbottom, the author of 'The Coming Of The Darkness' book series, was retired here."

"OH!IT'SASUPERRAREMEGACHASEITEMIFOUNDEROFTHEWARRIORLIBRARIANSOFTHEETERNALARCHIVESONLYONEINTHEENTIREUNIVERSEANDBEYOND!" She fell on her back.

"Geesh, how much sugar is in her diet?" Bouncer asked.

"Yeah, I totally picked one up, I put it on display!"

"Well, we were wondering if we could borrow him and-."

"THISISANEXACTREPLICAOFTHEONEINTHEETERNALARCHIVES! He doesn't even know the difference!"

"Wow, you never told me he was so small." Tree Rex whispered. "How was he able to write all those books? It must've taken him days!"

"Wait, I think he said something! 'Someone squish me'? Oh boy, he can't stand her either."

"And you wanna let me borrow him?! ARE YOU CRAZYPANTS?!" Then, she gasped. "BAKE THE CUPCAKES! Are you real-live Skylanders?!"

"Uh...maybe?"

The Collector yanked out a book and flipped through the pages.

"AREYOUAFIREWATEREARTHAIRLIFEUNDEADTECHMAGICLIGHTDARKLEGENDARYCOREGIANTSWAPFORCETRAPMASTERSUPERCHARGEROR" She gasped. "ELITE?!" She zipped over to the team. "Alright, here's the deal! If you can reach the cage and free him before I stop you, Pomfrey is yours! But if you can't, I get to take the Skylanders!"

"WHAT?!"

"Look, princess!" Stealth Elf snapped. "We're NOT toys to collect! We're important heroes! And we're not gonna just play-!"

"You're on!"

"WHA?! FLYNN!"

"Don't worry, I'm sure that this is a good plan!"

"On your marks, get set, go!"

Suddenly, the team was engulfed in green smoke! The Giants coughed and batted away at the smoke…

And found themselves the size of Mabu!

"What the?! What did you do?!" Bouncer gasped.

"Why you little!" Tree Rex charged up his Photosynthesis Cannon, only for it to die out!

"Our powers! They're not working when we're shrunken like this!" Thumpback wailed.

"Now I know what it's like to be as tall as Flynn." Crusher said. "Hey, where is he, anyway?"

"Uh, guys?" Eye-Brawl pointed. "I think my little bro's gotten a LOT more littler!"

"Oops! Did I forget to mention this part?" The Collector smiled as she looked down at the Mini-sized Skylanders. "Oh well, a deal's a deal!"

"Well, there's nothing we can do." Tree Rex said. "We should head back to the Academy and see if Eon can restore our size."

"Good plan." Hot Head replied. "I mean, how can we be called Giants if we're not actually giant?"

…

"OH NO!" Wrecking Ball wailed. "I don't wanna be small again! Not since the wizard put me in that cauldron that made me grow!"

"Flynn, if we don't get out of this," Stealth Elf growled. "I SWEAR I'm gonna squash you!"

"Welcome, heroes of legend!"

The team turned to see a bunch of caterpillars.

"I am Mayor Mcfreely." The lead one said. "As we Twitterpillars have been promised by the Great Larvae of Bucket Valley, you, the Heroes of Legends have arrived from the Great Bigoutthere to meet the challenge of the Colossal Trouble Taker!"

"ALL HAIL HEROES OF LEGENDS!"

"Well," Thrillipede chuckled. "That doesn't sound so bad now, does it?"

"Numbers 235 through 246!"

"Wait, what?!"

"Indeed. You were not the first." Mcfreely said. "234 other heroes of legends have tried this challenge and failed. Or was it 254? Anyway, don't be sad. They had the honor of being collected!"

"COLLECT THEM ALL! COLLECT THEM ALL!"

"Hey, weird little bug guys!" Flynn said from on a carrot. "You wanna help me down here?" Suddenly, the Collector picked up the carrot, and Flynn with it! Tessa and the Skylanders raced off after her!

The team continued through the various areas, such as Chompy Garden, and fought various new bug-like enemies, such as Toxic Tushies, Flea Jumpers, Snot Snatchers, Bees (Much to Bumble Blast's disliking since they wouldn't obey him), Cootie Traps, Beetle Bouncers, and Rhino Rampage Beetles.

Gill Grunt and Dive-Clops saved more Twitterpillars from a flooded area, Stealth Elf and Thrillipede shut off the water, and Terrafin and Smash Hit used their vehicles to continue racing the Collector, who even tried to squash them!

"Man, does she like cheating!" Terrafin growled. "First shrinking us, then trying to kill us! She wants Pomfrey that bad, I swear!"

It was a long journey, but eventually, the team was able to do what the others weren't: Free Pomfrey!

Finally, it was then that the Collector surrendered and returned the Skylanders back to their original size.

"Ah, Brussels sprouts! Well, a deal's a deal. You win Pomfrey, fair and square." She zipped over to Pomfrey. "Just take care of him! And don't worry, Pomfrey. I'll have your new habitat ready and waiting, after the crush The Darkness!"

And with that, the team headed back to the Academy.

…

The Darkness was growing more and more powerful. Its eyes had now become a glowing purple.

"This still isn't right!" Kaos groaned. "No more ruffles! I mean it!" He tossed them off.

"Sir, that's the 400th robe you've tried on!"

"I don't care!" Kaos roared to Glumshanks. "If I'm going to rule Skylands as the Ultimate Supreme Overlord, I need to look the part!"

Glumshanks sighed and left the room.

Suddenly, the mirrors glowed purple and The Darkness' eyes gazed through.

"AH! Hey, hey, do you mind?!"

"**Silence, underling!" **The Darkness boomed. "**You have wasted enough time! While you have been playing dress-up, the Skylanders have been turning the Core of Light into a WEAPON! They shall not use it against me! It WILL not stop me from consuming all of the sky in Skylands!"**

Kaos nodded. However, he was beginning to think that something wasn't quite right here…

"**I know what you are thinking. Have I ever steered you wrong?"**

"Well…"

"**Of course not." **The Darkness projected the entire universe before the Dark Portal Master. "**Why not settle for just one apple from the tree, when there are many others just ripe for the taking? Like apples in a tree, there are many worlds in the universe. All this could be yours."**

Kaos gasped. He saw many regal versions of himself. It was perfect.

"**You know what else would be perfect?" **The Darkness read his thoughts. "**You destroying the Core of Light once again. THIS time, make sure the Skylanders don't get a chance to rebuild it."**

"Yes…" Kaos laughed as he was dressed as the same reflections in the mirror. "It WOULD be perfect! Perfectly evil! HAHAHAHAHAHA-!"

"**However," **The Darkness interrupted. "**There will also be those who try to stand in your way. And not JUST the Skylanders. What are you going to do about that?"**

Kaos began thinking back. Glumshanks had always been such a fateful butler. But like Kaos himself had thought 2 years ago, there were serious doubts about his commitment to evil.

Disobeying his orders to allow him to regain control of the Iron Fist of Arkus.

Hesitative to do his bidding.

Even when Kaos tried to evilize the butler, he was still knocked back to his former self.

"Oh yes," Kaos growled. "I know EXACTLY what to do…"

…

"It's such an honor to meet you, Pomfrey!" Hugo said. "I've read all of your books!"

"Okay, Pom-Pom." Flynn said. "How do we turn the Core of Light into the Ultimate Anti-Darkness Weapon?"

"As you know," Pomfrey began. "The Core was created by the Ancient, but was never completed. If you have read all of my books about the history of The Darkness, you should know that the Core's original function was meant for offense rather than defense. I have discovered that there is one more component that will transform that shield into a sword: The Eye Of The Ancients!"

"Hey, isn't that Whiskers?" Spyro pointed into the distance. There was an orange speck and a green speck.

"Hey! What are you carrying?!" Tessa commanded the bird. "DROP IT! DROP IT RIGHT NOW!"

The green speck began falling to the ground before crashing into debris. The Skylanders flinched.

"Ow. That's gonna hurt."

"It landed on the flagship! Come on!"

The team headed on over and when they saw what it was, they gasped.

"Congratulations, you found a troll." Flynn said. "Good bird."

"GLUMSHANKS." Spyro growled. "What are you doing here?! How did you find us?!"

"You're not escaping from us, spy!" Buzz yelled.

"Oh...uh...I'm...not really a spy for Kaos." Glumshanks said. "Not really anything, anymore. He...uh...He fired me."

"Fired? Why would he do that? Give us one reason that you're telling the truth!" Spyro said.

"I...I brought this peace offering!" Glumshanks tossed it out. Spyro looked confused.

"Is that...a punching bag that looks like Kaos?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, it better not be booby-trapped!" Spyro said. "In the meantime, I'm staying here to keep an eye on you! Cause we all know what happened the LAST time someone bad pretended to be good!"

"Not to interrupt," Pomfrey continued. "But the Eye Of The Ancients is in the possession of the gargantuan Titans in Monstrous Isles. To claim the eye, you must defeat these creatures. And to fight a Titan, you must BECOME a Titan! And the only thing in Skylands capable of doing so is the Kolossal Kernel."

"WHAT?!" Tree Rex yelled, having overheard. "You mean there's a way to get the Giants and I to go back to our normal sizes?!"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Woohoo! That Collector lady's magic was too strong. Although she was able to regrow you guys, we were too big to begin with! This thing could be the key for us to become real Giants again!"

"However, the kernel is in the possession of Cluck."

"That bird brain we fought back at the Tower of Time?" Spyro smirked. "Well, whaddya know. I guess I really DID roast him two years into the future!"

"Well, I guess we better head on over to his secret HQ!" Jet-Vac said. "Tally-Ho!"


	9. Cap'n Cluck's Chicken HQ

After passing through Cluck's Cuckoo Nest, the team heard a musical jingle that made Free Ranger wide-eyed.

"Oh no." He gulped. "Not this place…"

"NO WAY!" Flynn gasped. "Cap'n Cluck's King-Sized Chicken! I LOVE this place!"

"How can you love it?!" Jet-Vac yelled. "This place is a nightmare for birds! And a disgrace to birds everywhere!"

"Plus, that theme song gets really annoying quick!" Free Ranger added. Stormblade only gulped.

"You said it." Spyro said. He, Whiskers, Jet-Vac, Stormblade, Free Ranger, High Volt, Trigger Happy, Gill Grunt, and Dive-Clops were on route to Cluck's headquarters, cleverly disguised as a fast food restaurant..

"Ooo, wonder what his secret recipe is!" Flynn licked his lips.

"My guess: Pure evil. Look!" Tessa pointed. Down below, Cluck, in a new plane-resembling suit, was giving a speech to completely oblivious chickens.

"My fellow feathered friends," He was addressing. "The time has come for us to throw off our persaud of supplying reasonably priced fried-on trays to the gluttonous masses, and rise up, to take from Skylands, what is rightfully ours!"

"Buck buck."  
"Buckaw?"

"For years," Cluck continued. "I have used the Kolossal Kernel to grow my vast chicken empire! And now, I shall grow my mighty chicken ARMY! Observe!" Hopping into his plane, Cluck activated the kernel. Its power made the chickens heavily obese!

"UGH! Growth Modifications?!" Stormblade groaned. "I think I'm gonna be sick…"

"AH!" Flynn yelled. "I've been eating evil chicken?! Delicious evil chicken…"

"Please stop. This is the VERY last place I want to be right now, and I don't want you making it even worse."

"Well, we better stop Cluck before he can hatch his evil plan!" Tessa said as the group landed.

After gaining a small piece of the Kernel, the team figured out how to use its scale-altering powers. They even used it on Lift Lofters by making the huge acorn squash them, Blade Skhurts to make their hoop blades break, Hammerheads by making them resort to kicks, and Steam Squirts by making their bags crush them (and making them Bounce Pads).

The Water Skylanders dropped more chicken feed into the water to make the size-altering more simpler, and the Air SuperChargers fought a gigantic rooster called Cockadoodledoom, all while fighting Windbag Drivers and Rocket Shooters.

It was a little while, but they managed to get to Cluck's office and confront the small bird.

"I knew it was only a matter of time." Cluck hissed. "Welcome to Cap'n Cluck's King-Sized Chicken! Today, we will be serving extra helpings of PAIN!"

"Your business has several health violations!" High Volt ordered. "On official Skylander business, Cap'n Cluck's King-Sized Chicken is officially shut down!"

Cluck began firing eggs from his plane, which High Volt and Trigger Happy dodged. Rolling grown and fat chickens into shooter to fire back at Cluck, the two were able to bring him down and make him molt.

"You may think you've won, Skylander," Cluck yelled after his plane crashed. "But you haven't seen the last of Cluck! I shall return with a plan more dastardly than this one! You'll see! You'll all see!" And with that, he flew off.

"Well, we've got the kernel." Stormblade said. "Now let's get out of here before-AHH!" She yelped as she noticed Flynn munching on a drumstick.

"What?!"

…

"Uh huh, just as I thought." Mags said. "This thing's busted!" Moving her hand through the glassless magnifying glass, Mags threw it aside. "But I know just what to do with this Kolossal Kernel. Y'all might want to take a step back…"

"Wait, Mags, don't!"

Meanwhile, Spyro was resting in the meantime. Then, he heard a giant pop.

"Huh?" He went to investigate. There, he saw the now-popped Kolossal Kernel.

"Woah! That is one giant piece of popcorn!" Tree Rex gasped. "You sure this can restore our size?"

"Yep!" Mags said. "Let's get you to those islands and make you giant again!"

"Finally, the Eye will be ours." Spyro said. "Let's go!"

Sharpfin coughed. "Mags, we definitely need to talk about safety protocols!"


	10. Monstrous Isles

"So, the Titans aren't the only ones here, right?" Tree Rex asked.

"Yes, and keep it down." Tessa whispered to the eight of them. Flynn gulped. "Legends say that the savage trolls that live on these islands worship the Titans. They obey their every command...TO THE DEATH!"

Flynn gulped again.

They peeked through the jungle and saw the Titans, with the trolls acting as loyal slaves.

"Ugh, this is terrible." Flynn said. "You think they're keeping the Eye in the hot tub or the cabanos?"

"I'd say around that lobster's neck." Tree Rex said. "Alright, birdy! Make us extra extra large!"

After dealing with ambushing Rafty Riflemen, the team used the kernel's power. Suddenly, the team began to regrow to epic proportions!

"RRRAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Tree Rex roared. "I FEEL GREAT! AWESOME EVEN!"

"OH YEAH!" Bouncer said. "THE GIANTS ARE BACK, BABY!" It was then that the Titans noticed them!

"Hey, those creeps are intruding on our beach, Thunder Tow!" The female squid said. "That is like, SO uncool!"

"Ah, no worries, Beachcomber babe." Thunder Tow laughed. "We can clobber these guys! Pterashark, here boy! Why don't you teach these noobs a lesson?!"

"Ha! Like you even stand a chance!" Tree Rex yelled to Thunder Tow. "There's three of you, and EIGHT of us! Come on, let's do this! Giants vs. Titans!"

The team charged, yelling their battle cries.

"Alright, troll dudes!" Thunder Tow ordered. "Keep 'em busy while we get ready for them! They ain't catching us off-guard like that again!"

"FOR THE TITANS!" The trolls yelled as they charged.

The Giants were now as big as the sky and hardly even felt the trolls! It was like the ammo was paper! They ran fast enough to rival a smaller Land Vehicle, eventually reaching Pterashark's nest.

"Hey, those trolls are stealing those eggs!" Tree Rex roared. "Possibly to feed that Pterashark guy! Swarm! Take out those Clam Bunkers!"

"You got it! Time to bring the sting!"

Swarm flew towards the nests. He began using his Barb Blades to slice through the Clam Bunkers, with Flynn catching sight of more reinforcements.

"Look out! There's a huge warship on the way!"

Smirking, Swarm flew right through the warship, destroying it!

"Oh right, you're pretty hugemongous too. Carry on!"

Swarm slashed through more bunkers. He knew that something with that many teeth couldn't be super friendly. Hopefully, this would give them the advantage.

"Wuh oh, I think you made him angry." Flynn said. "I don't think he likes you playing with his food!"

Swarm noticed the angry Pterashark lunge at him. Turning into his swarm form to dodge, Swarm stung the beast many times. It roared with pain and anger as it flew off. As it fled, Swarm turned back and destroyed the last bunker. The eggs were saved.

"Crusher, heads up!" He called as he flew back. "He's coming to you near that giant sand castle arena! I already stung him and drew him away from his food, so you've got an advantage!"

"Alright! It's Crush Hour!"

Pterashark roared in fury of the giant golem and charged. Blowing apart in pieces, Crusher flattened the troll support. Reforming, he noticed the beast submerge. He used his emerald eye beams to turn the ground to stone, trapping it. Then, lifting his hammer, Crusher brought it down, knocking the beast free! Countering, it leapt into the air and dive-bombed downwards. Crusher was dragged back by it.

"Come on!" He yelled, pounding the hammer into the ground. Pterashark roared again and charged. This time, Crusher swung his hammer to its side, dealing a heavy blow and knocking it into the gate, destroying it! The hit was also enough to defeat it.

"Good job!" Tree Rex said. "Now press forward!"

The Giants charged ahead, avoiding volcanic eruptions, until they confronted Beachcomber.

"Hey, Big Losers, how did you even get in here?" Beachcomber taunted. "These hot springs are like, a total VIP section. And VIP, you are not." She then dove into the sea she was in.

"Oh no, you don't!" Thumpback roared as he dove in after her!

Avoiding Hurtmit Crabs and tentacles as he continued pursuing, Thumpback was able to confront the squid in the ocean near the main city.

"Alright, squid-lady!" Thumpback readied his anchor. "Let's party! CANNONBALL!" He then belly-slided right into her, making Beachcomber stumble. She threw a ship at the whale, which he caught with his anchor and threw it right back! When Beachcomber lashed out with her tentacles, Thumpback dodged and bit down on them to counterattack!

"OW! Hey, that's like, a private sensitive area, you peeping tom creep! Don't make me call my boyfriend!"

"Oh, I'm so scared!" Thumpback laughed. "He'll just be another catch of the day!"

Angered, Beachcomber lashed out with her tentacles again. This time, Thumpback caught them with his anchor, then with his tremendous strength, he lifted Beachcomber up and slammed her back down behind him.

"Two down, one to go." Tree Rex congratulated. "Time to rampage on Sand City!"

The eight of them began destroying the sandcastles blocking their path, along with all the troll forces. At the center of the city, Tree Rex confronted Thunder Tow.

"So, you're the leader of the guys who pummeled my pet and bested my babe." Thunder Tow laughed. "You've been working out."

"Enough talk!" Tree Rex roared. "Give us the Eye of the Ancients!"

"Oh, this sweet necklace?" Thunder Tow chuckled. "You know this is sick, right? You want it? HA! Alright brah, let's see what you've got!"

The two kaijus charged and clashed. Claw hit fist. Tree Rex slammed his red fist down onto the lobster, then followed with a shoulder charge that made Thunder Tow crash into a sandcraper (a skyscraper made of sand). Thunder Tow grabbed the punching arm, countered with a headbutt, then pushed the tree back. Tree Rex leapt up and smashed both fists down, with Thunder Tow tucking into his shell. Leaping into the air and knocking Tree Rex down, Thunder Tow crashed back down. Throwing him off, Tree Rex picked up a nearby building and threw it at him.

"I'm just getting warmed up!" Thunder Tow said. Holding up the Eye, Thunder Tow shot green fireballs at Tree Rex, who fired his Photosynthesis Cannon to counter the projectiles. Finally, to finish the big guy, Tree Rex charged up the blast and fired at the head, then charged at him and delivered an uppercut, knocking the lobster into the dirt.

"Sorry, Larry." Tree Rex taunted. "But I'll be taking this." He ripped off the necklace. "Guys! I've got it!"

"Yeah! The ruckus has been totally brought!" Flynn yelled. "Best giant monster fight ever!"

"KA-BA-LAMMO!" Tessa yelled. "Now to head back to the Academy and truly complete the Core of Light!"

"_You must hurry." _Eon's voice rang. "_I sense something terrible is approaching!"_

"Hey, we totally just beat a ginormous Titan!" Flynn yelled back. "Can't a guy just relax and enjoy the moment?" He struck an awkward pose. "Boom?"

…

"Okay, the Eye is in position!" Spyro said. "Time to end this once and for-!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Many gasps were heard.

"Oh no…" Spyro pleaded. "Not now…"

"ATTENTION, MISERABLE DO-GOODING FOOLS!" Kaos' voiced boomed from the Sky Eater. "YOU MAY HAVE THOUGHT THAT YOU COULD HIDE FROM YOUR DOOM, BUT YOU HAVE MANAGED TO PROLONG THE INEVITABLE! BEHOLD, AS I, KAOS, NOW PERSONALLY DESTROY YOU AND THAT STUPID CORE OF LIGHT!"

"No time to stand around!" Buzz ordered Flynn. "We gotta get outta here, pronto! Flynn, man the wheel! Everyone else, you might wanna hold on to something!"

The rift activated, pulling the ship to its doom! Seeing that it was now or never, Spyro raced to the Core, his heart burning with fury!

_Not now! We're so close! _He thought. _Gotta turn on that Core of Light, NOW!_

He got to the Core, but before he could do anything, Spyro suddenly began flying towards the rift! Thinking fast, he caught himself with his wings. Seeing it too dangerous to stay on a higher level, Spyro began to fight the strong winds and fly downwards. He didn't notice the loose rail guard coming straight at him until it was too late.

CLANG!

Spyro was hit on the head. HARD. He tumbled into the Academy interior and crashed into the wall.

The last thing he saw was the ship's engines shutting down before his eyes shut for good…

…

The sound pierced his head as all he saw was white. Spyro fought to regain his vision and conscious.

"...is a hero. We…back for him!"

"We can't…back together! It's…apart...destroyed...forever…we do?!"

"BOOM…sitting ducks…..start the engines up again!"

"Hey…..! S…..up!"

"Uhhh…..what…."

"SPYRO! WAKE UP!"

Spyro regained conscious. Cynder was looking at him, worried.

"Cynder? What…what happened…?"

"Glumshanks undid one of the chains connecting the Academy." Cali said. "Allowed for less cargo. But he flew into the rift along with the Core of Light. He's dead, Spy-."

"Wait." Spyro shot up at Cali's words. "What did you say?!"

"Glumshanks sacrificed himself." Cali said. "I wanted to go back, but-."

Spyro flew out of there.

No…

It couldn't be…

Spyro flew up to the Academy roof. What he saw was more traumatizing than Ignitus' death.

The Core of Light..._was gone._

"No…" Spyro began shedding tears. "No…! _NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" _He fell to the ground, sobbing like mad. "It's gone. The Core is gone! This…this can't be happening! Not again!"

"Oh no…" Gill Grunt gasped. "I've never seen him cry like that."

"Me neither." Trig moaned. "Guess that Core was everything for him. Now without it...all…hope...I don't even want to say it."

"GUYS!" Cali said. "He's alive! Glumshanks is alive!"

Spyro only looked but.

"But-."

"Pandergast snatched him up and took him prisoner! He's the first prize in the Ridepocalypse Demolition Derby!"

"Cal-."

"We have to rescue him, but it's not gonna be easy. The derby is dangerous. And warlords are seeking to claim him!"

"The Core-."

"He saved our lives, so we have to sa-!"

"CALI!" Spyro roared with sadness and rage. "WHAT PART OF 'CORE OF LIGHT DESTROYED FOREVER' DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

"Look, I understand how upset you are." Cali said. "But Glumshanks is more important at the moment."

"Oh, because he knows the only other way to get rid of The Darkness once and for all?!"

Cali was silent.

"Well...because he...you know what, that works too! Come on! We have to-!"

"I'm not going."

"What?"

"The Eternal Elemental Sources have been obliterated." Spyro said. "And as much as my soul screams it, I just CAN'T accept that all hope is lost! There has to be another way! THERE HAS TO BE! THE CORE OF LIGHT WAS MORE IMPORTANT TO ME THAN THAT STUPID BUTLER EVER WAS! FREE HIM YOURSELF! I NEED ANSWERS!"

"Spyro, wait!"

Cali was too late. Spyro flew straight into the Academy's library, searching desperately for new answers.

"If only he knows what matters most…"

"Too late." Gill said as the ship's engines came back on. "Once Spyro sets his sights on something, there's no stopping him. Trig, get the other Land SuperChargers. Time to deliver our end of the truth bargain."


	11. Ridepocalypse Demo Derby

The arena was pure chaos. And having it on the edge of a Sky-Eating rift wasn't helping. Wind Burns, Chomp Rods, Shrednaughts, and Troll Missile Mechs were duking it out.

"Uh, Cali?" Eruptor gulped. "Are you SURE about this?"

"Yes!" She snapped. "It's only fair that we return the favor."

"I know, but...these guys look like they mean business!"

"You guys fought worse." Spitfire said. "Still, I've never seen Spyro so vulnerable before. And besides, among those priceless secrets in Glumshanks' head? I bet one of those is the answer Spyro is looking for!"

"So, you're doing this for him?" Roller Brawl asked.

"Yep. Besides, this IS a derby. You'd fit right in."

"I'm suited for roller derbys, not demolition derbys!" She said.

"HANG ON TIGHT, DEMOLITION FANS!" Pangergast's voice rang from the overhead zeppelin. "BECAUSE THE MEANEST, LEANEST, AND FEROCIOUS DRIVERS IN ALL SKYLANDS ARE HERE TO CRASH AND BASH THEIR WAY TO TOTAL DOMINATION AND BLOW YOUR FACE RIGHT OFF!"

"Let's see, a modified Trolling Thunder Tank, a flying bladed copter, and-WOAH! Is that a dinosaur made of scrap?!" Terrafin gasped.

"THE VICTOR OF THIS DERBY WILL TAKE HOME AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF POCKET CHANGE, IN THE AMOUNT OF 100,000 COINS! AND OF COURSE, OUR VERY SPECIAL GRAND PRIZE, A NEW TROLL BUTLER! WHO KNOWS WHAT PRICELESS SECRETS HE HOLDS?! SO, BUCKLE UP AS WE SEE WHICH OF OUR MIGHTY MARAUDING MOTORISTS WILL BE CROWNED KING, CHAMPION, LORD OF RIIIIIIDEPOCALYYYYYYPSE!"

"Well, enjoy the show like BattleBrawl Island." Spitfire smirked. "SuperChargers, let's drive evil crazy."

After many preparations, Roller Brawl and Fiesta were the first two to enter the arena.

"THE COUNTDOWN TO RIDEPOCALYPSE HAD BEGUN!" Pandergast announced from his blimp. "NOW ENTERING THE ARENA, COMES EVIL'S BIGGEST FEARS! THE DRIVERS OF THE DEAD, THE HAUNTERS OF THE HIGHWAY, MAKE YOUR SPIRITS ROAR FOR THE BOOOOOOOONE BREAKEEEEEERS!"

"Bone Breakers?" Roller Brawl asked. "Ouch."

"WILL THE BONE BREAKERS BE ABLE TO WITHSTAND THE OUTSTANDING ONSLAUGHT OF THEIR ONCOMING CHALLENGERS? LET'S SEE IF THEY'VE GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO SURVIVE AGAINST THE TERRIFYING TURBULENCE, THE CHAOTIC CYCLONES, AND THE RAGING ROARS OF WIIIIIIND BURRRRRRN AND TUUUUUURRRRRNNNNN! DRIVERS, CRASH AND BASH!"

The Tomb Buggy and Crypt Crusher zoomed off, targeting any Wind Burn vehicle they could find. The next wave soon arrived in the form of Chompy Rods, which were also easily flattened.

"I SAY IT'S TIME FOR A LITTLE SURPRISE! WHAT SAY YOU?"

"YEEEEAAAAHHHH!"

"THE MOB HAS SPOKEN! BRING OUT THE SPIKES!"

Suddenly, spikes jutted out near the two. The Undead SuperChargers swerved to dodge, while their opponents weren't so lucky. Some blew out their tires, others lost more than their tires.

"NOW ENTERING THE BONE BREAKERS' NEXT OPPONENTS! THE RAZOR-SHARP RUMBLERS, THE TOOTHY TAKEOVERS, THE BITING BATTLERS, THE CHEW-THROUGH CREEEEEEWWWWW!"

More Chompy Rods, about entire horde, zoomed at the duo. They had to stay on the move. Quickly, Fiesta and Roller Brawl managed to take out the Chew-Through Crew. Now, it was time for their final opponent.

"AND NOW, ENTERING THE ARENA, THE REIGNING SUPER-CLASS CHAMPION, DREAAAAAD ROLLEEEEEEERRRRRRR!"

"Yeah-ha! Prepare to eat Dread!"

The wheely tank charged at the Bone Breakers, firing the shells.

"DREAD ROLLER HAS HIS SIGHTS SET ON THE BONE BREAKERS AND IS READY TO OPEN FIRE! BUT WILL HE TOO BECOME TOO AFRAID TO FIGHT?"

Dread Roller continued to fire, but he was outnumbered two-to-one, and was eventually defeated.

"DREAD ROLLER HAS SUCCUMBED TO HIS WORST NIGHTMARES! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE HAVE A NEW SUPER-CLASS REIGNING CHAMPION! THE BONE BREAKERS!"

After a brief interlude, and rift turbulence, the next challengers entered the arena.

"LOOKS LIKE THE BONE BREAKERS HAVE A WHOLE TEAM!" Pandergast announced. "INTRODUCING, THE MOTORING MACHINISTS, THE ROBO-RUMBLERS, GIVE IT UP FOR THE GEEEEEEEAR GRINDEEEEEEEERS!"

"WOW! That is a COOL name!" Trig laughed as High Volt only sighed.

"AND NOW, ENTERING AS THE GEAR GRINDERS' OPPONENT, THE FIERCEST AND FEROCIOUS FLYER IN ALL SKYLANDS, GIVE IT UP FOR THE MIGHTY MINT-SIZED CHAMP, TURBOOOOOO TEEEEEEETH! DRIVERS, CRASH AND BASH!"

The Gold Rusher and Shield Striker immediately went for higher ground.

"WILL THE GEAR GRINDERS BE ABLE TO GROUND THIS POWERFUL PREDATOR? OR, AS TURBO TEETH HAS THE FLYING ADVANTAGE, WILL HE SEND THE GEAR GRINDERS BACK TO THE SCRAPYARD? LET'S FIND OUT!"

The Gear Grinders revved into action, getting in as much air time as possible to take on Turbo Teeth. Eventually, Turbo Teeth went down.

"INCREDIBLE! THE SUPERCHARGERS ARE CLIMBING THE LADDER! ALL THEY NEED NOW IS TO DEFEAT OUR CURRENT KING, CHAMPION, AND LORD! BUT WHO IS THEIR NEXT MERCILESS OPPONENT? STAY TUNED TO FIND OUT!"

After another interlude and turbulence, the remaining SuperChargers entered the arena.

"WELL, WILL YOU LOOK AT THAT!" Pandergast announced. "THEY MUST HAVE KNOWN THEIR FINAL OPPONENT WOULD BE TOUGH! THE SUPERCHARGERS SENT OUT _DOUBLE _THE TROUBLE!" He gestured to the Shark Tank and Thump Truck. "AND NOW, PLEASE WELCOME, THE BATTLERS OF THE BOULDERS, THE QUAKERS OF CHAOS, THE ROOOOOOOCK AAAAAAND ROOOOOLLEEEEEERS!" He then gestured to the Hot Streak and Burn-Cycle. "AND THEIR COMPANIONS, THE BURNING BATTLERS, THE FLAMING FIGHTERS, CAN OUR CHAMPION TAKE THE HEAT OF THE FIIIIIRE FIIIGHTEEEEEEERS?! AND JUST WHO IS THE CHAMPION THAT THEY WILL FACE?! WHY DON'T YOU TELL THEM WHO IT IS?!"

"WRECK O' SAURUS! WRECK O' SAURUS! WRECK O' SAURUS!" The crowd cheered over and over.

"THAT'S RIGHT!" Pandergast yelled as the crowd continued chanting. "THE COMBINED FORCES OF THE ROCK AND ROLLERS AND THE FIRE FIGHTERS NOW FACE A CREATURE SO TERRIFYING THAT LOOKING AT IT DIRECTLY COULD MELT YOUR BRAINS! NOW ENTERING, THE TOWERING TITAN OF TUSSLE AND TEETH, THE WRECK-TACULAR: WREEEEEEEECK OOOOOOOOO SAAAAAAUUUUUUURUUUUUUSS!"

The colossal beast let out a ferocious roar loud enough to be heard more than the roar of the crowd. Eruptor gulped.

"Well, with a name like that," He said. "It can't be good…"

"Stay focused." Spitfire said. "We beat the others, we can beat THIS!"

The four put the pedal to the metal and the final crash and bash began!

…

He flew tirelessly through the library. He didn't have time to pay attention to the villains STILL working on their task as he flew past. The Golden Queen was muttering something about there not being any gold, Dr. Krankcase was trying to recite his ABCs, Wolfgang was trying not to get frustrated and angry, Tae Kwon Crow yelled at Spyro for 'daring to interrupt', Grave Clobber was carrying a massive amount of books, Chompy Mage was reading something about bazookas, Pain-Yatta used his lollipop to push the books in place, Hood Sickle used his teleporting skills to get the job done faster, Blaster-Tron was using his jetpack to fly around more easily, and Bad Juju was with a smaller version of herself, getting more books. Meanwhile, Spyro piled through book after book after book. He WOULD find the answers, no matter how long it took!

"No."

Thud.

"No."

Thud.

"No!"

Thud.

"NO!"  
Thud.

"NO NO NO! AUGH, WHY CAN'T THERE BE A BOOK CALLED 'HOW TO BEAT THE DARKNESS WITHOUT THE CORE OF LIGHT'?!"

"_Spyro, I understand how determined you are." _Eon's voice rang out. "_But you must understand that the matter of freeing Glumshanks is more important at the time."_

"NO, MASTER!" Spyro roared back. "THE CORE OF LIGHT CAN'T BE REBUILT THIS TIME! I HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER WAY TO GET RID OF THE DARKNESS!"

"_You KNOW how huge this library is! AND how long it could take you! We don't have much time! Who knows when The Darkness could be strong enough to destroy us all?"_

"AND YOU KNOW HOW MORE AND MORE DESPERATE I'M GETTING BY THE SECOND!" Spyro snapped. "ARGH, I'M SO DESPERATE, I DON'T EVEN CARE WHAT WE DO TO THE DARKNESS! ALL THAT MATTERS IS THAT IT'S NOT IN SKYLANDS ANYMORE, WHETHER IT'S DESTROYED, OR BANISHED, OR-"

Spyro stopped suddenly. What did he just say?!

_Banished? Using that same….?_

His eyes shot open.

"That's it…THAT'S IT!" He yelled. "EON! MASTER EON! I GOT IT! I KNOW HOW TO BEAT THE DARKNESS!"

"_You know how to destroy The Darkness once and for all?"_

"No, not destroy." Spyro smirked. "Look, I know this plan will sound crazy, but you can trust me. When the others get back, tell them that this is EXACTLY what they need to do…"

…

"GRRRRAAAAAAAWWWWWRRRRRRR!"

The titanic junk dino roared out its flames as the four raced towards it.

"Dodge his charges!" Spitfire said. "Watch out for missiles! Avoid the flames!"

The team let up until the dino activated a force field.

"It's no use! Our attacks can't get through!" Terrafin yelled.

Seeing a rail-way, Spitfire smiled. Driving the Hot Streak towards it, Spitfire drove through the rail-way, then blasted the dinosaur from behind, ramming through and destroying it!

"UNBELIEVABLE!" Pandergast yelled. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE HAVE A NEW KING, CHAMPION, AND LORD OF RIDEPOCALYPSE! THE SKYLANDERS SUPERCHARGERS!"

"WOOOOO!"

"GO SKYLANDERS!"

"SUPERCHARGERS RULE!"

"CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE WON 100,000 COINS, AND OUR GRAND PRIZE!"

The cage with Glumshanks opened up. The troll fell out, with Sharpfin's ship catching him and speeding off, with the Land SuperChargers on board with their gold rewards.

…

"So, you say you have a plan, right, Chief?" Flynn asked.

"Yes." Spyro smiled. "And it's going to work!"

"So, what do we do to beat The Darkness?" Cali asked. Spyro smirked.

"We need the Dark Rift Engine."

"WHAT?!" Everyone was in shock!

"But...but Spyro!" Hugo wailed. "That was the very same thing that brought The Darkness here in the first place! What if it brings something far much worse here?!"

"We're not bringing something here." Spyro said. "We're sending The Darkness back where it came from."

"Uh...what?" Flynn asked.

"With the Core of Light gone, The Darkness can't be destroyed." Spyro said. "And if I remember correctly from Lefuzzbottom's books, Rift Engines can function like portals. They can bring things from A to B, and back again. The Dark Rift Engine is just like all the others. All we have to do is find it!"

"_Unfortunately," _Eon interrupted. "_I believe there is a major flaw in your plan, Spyro. The secret location of the Dark Rift Engine was lost thousands of years ago. No one knows where it is hidden."_

Before Spyro could say anything from his shock, Glumshanks stepped up.

"Um...Mr. Eon, Mr. Spyro? If I may?" He cleared his throat. "The Darkness talks in its sleep, and...uh...I overheard it. He said that the Dark Rift Engine is hidden in a place called the Vault of the Ancients. That's where the Ancients locked away things that were too dangerous to be used by 'mere mortals'."

"..."

Spyro was speechless.

"Um, Cali?" He said. "I'm...I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier. I guess Glumshanks wasn't so worseless after all. If he knew where the DRE was, he could've just told me earlier."

"Ah, it's okay, Spyro." Spitfire said. "You were upset. Over the loss of the Core. I get it. We all lose something sometimes. You know what it can do to people. You lost the only way back to your home, and I lost my chance to win fame, fortune, and glory. But I learned something. If we can't let go of what we've lost, then we'll never be able to move forward. And I understand how important you are to all of us Skylanders. They lost the very same things you lost here. They wouldn't want to lose you too."

"Thanks." Spyro said. "Now let's go become Skylands' last hope."


	12. Vault Of The Ancients

"Okay," Flynn said. "Am I the only one who thinks that this plan is worse than BUBBLE GUM ENCHILADAS?!"

"Oh, so you think my plan is stupid?" Spyro said. "Do you have a better idea?!"

"Well, this stuff was locked up inside for a reason, right?"

"We don't have a choice, Flynn!" Cali said. "The Dark Rift Engine is our only chance now!"

"Well, it was said that the Vault is guarded by very dangerous traps." Glumshanks said. Flynn went over to comfort him, forcing Cali to take the wheel.

"My thoughts exactly, my little green amigo! Luckily, these guys will go check it out!"

The ship docked, and Spyro, Spitfire, Eruptor, Terrafin, Smash Hit, Astroblast, Nightfall, Spat, Pop Fizz, Magna Charge, Stealth Elf, and Thrillipede went off to investigate.

As they journeyed deeper into the jungle, they were met by a mysterious plant creature!

"Woah! Who are you?!"

"Greetings, most honored friend." The plant said. "I am Pluck, the last of the Watch Wraiths. We were created by the Ancients to test the worth and might of those who wish to enter this vault. To test you, I shall grant you two gifts from the ancients: The fundamental powers of attraction and repulsion. When proceeding to the Mystical Vault, you will have to repair sentry statues, which have cracked after the disturbance in Skylands reached even here. You will face many freed creatures: Ancient Equalizers, Muck Yucks, Energy Guardians, Cauldrones, Flitter Glimmers, Hover Spars, and Solar Saucers. Once inside the vault, you will have to ring the Bells of Past, Present, Future. These ring for every second that passes is Skylands. Rung enough, and they will awaken the rest of my dormant kin. Lastly, you will have to repower the core to bring back the light when you are deeper inside the vault. Complete all these tasks, and you will gain what you seek. Good Luck."

The team proceeded onwards, completing the given tasks. As light returned and more Watch Wraiths awakened, the Skylanders proceeded to the Dark Rift Engine.

However, one of Kaos' generals, Hektore, having been revived by The Darkness, had known what they were trying to do. They ended up confronting him near the end of the Vault. They knew he was here to stop them.

As the Land SuperChargers tried to solve the massive puzzle to unlock the Dark Rift Engine, the others held Hektore off. And by the time the DRE was claimed, Hektore had long been defeated.

Now, it was time to head back to the Academy and prepare for the final battle…

…

"You sure this is safe?" Flynn asked. "What if Mags is turned into a rift-eating zombie?"

"It's just a machine, Flynn!" Cali said. "It can't do that...Can it?"

"All I know is that Rule Number 1 of the Secret Ninja Commando handbook does NOT include dangerous machinery giving away our position!" Buzz yelled. Suddenly, the Academy's alarm blared. "HOLY GUACAMOLE! BATTLE STATIONS! THE ACADEMY IS UNDER ATTACK!"

"Skylanders! Defend the Academy!" Spyro ordered. Wash Buckler and Thumpback were at the front lines, defending the ship from the pirates. The pirates put up a fight, but eventually retreated.

"I want a full inventory!" Buzz ordered. "Is anything missing?"

"More like, is anyONE missing. Where's Mags?"

"Oh no. Those pirates must've kidnapped her!" Spyro responded to Flynn's words. "Augh! We don't have time for this! Quick, I need a small team to chase after those pirates! Rescue Mags and get back here ASAP!"


	13. The Bandit Train

"Sky Bandits, dead ahead!" Wash Buckler said. "Cali, what's our strategy?"

"We're no match for their assault weapons! We'll have to sneak in through the caboose!"

"Sharpfin, be ready to pick up Mags as soon as we break her out!" Stormblade said. "Let's show them what happens to those who mess with our friends!"

As Stormblade, Spitfire, and Spyro went into the train, the others noticed something else, something HUGE, come up beside them and the train.

"The Phantom Tide?! Oh come on! Not now!" Thumpback sighed.

"You think ye could run from Kaos?" Captain Frightbeard said. "Sure, he may have powered us up with The Darkness, but he put a large bounty on the lot of you a while back! And that gold is as good as mine! Open fire, mateys!"

Sharpfin had to pilot the ship from the train to dodge the Chompy Cannons. Boarding the ship, Wash Buckler and Thumpback began fighting the seadogs.

"We don't have time for this!" Wash Buckler said. "Let's just buy the others some time! Defend Sharpfin's ship and the train!"

As the two good pirates dueled Rustbeard, Squidbeard, and Frightbeard, the trio inside the train managed to make it to the front. There, they found Mags locked up, with a giant walrus pirate confronting them.

"Well, what has the ol' Captain Blubberbeard got here?" He laughed heartily. "Come for your mechanic friend here, haven't you? Too bad! She's got a job to do: Upgrade the Sky Train so we can escape this mess! Skylands is going down, mate. And I'm not going with it! And if you haven't noticed, I'm the Captain of this here train, and it's the end of the tracks for you! I don't take kindly to stowaways! Crew! Skewer them and throw 'em overboard! All hands on deck, and then around their necks!"

"Sorry, but we need her more than you do!" Spyro growled. "Even if you tried, you could never escape! The Portal Network has been completely shut down! You have no choice!"

"We shall see."

The team began to battle every pirate sent their way, ultimately defeating them.

"ARRRR! Can't any of ye stop 'em?! Well, if ye want the job done right, ye have to do it yerself!"

Blubberbeard leaped down and joined the battle himself. However, Spitfire, Stormblade, and Spyro were all able to best him.

"Come on, Mags!" Spyro said. "We're getting out of here!"

…

"AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!" Captain Frightbeard roared as the Phantom Tide went down. "MARK ME WORDS, SKYLANDERS! YE HAVE NOT SEEN THE LAST OF CAPTAIN FRIGHTBEARD!"

Wash Buckler and Thumpback made it back to Sharpfin's ship. The Phantom Tide crashed below the clouds as Mags and the others jumped onto Sharpfin's ship!

"YEEEEEHAAAAAAWWWWW!"

"Alright, back to the Academy!" Spyro ordered. "Time to finish this once and for all!"

…

"The Core of Light is destroyed." Kaos said to himself. "The Skylanders are defeated! This should be the greatest day of my life! What's wrong with me?!"

"_Hello, Kaos."_

The Dark Portal Master turned to see none other than his mother, Kaossandra! She appeared to be glowing, as if she was a spirit, just like Eon.

"_You seem to be at an emotional crossroad, my son."_

"Eh?! WHA?! Mother?! What are you doing here?! I thought you were sealed away in a mirror 2 years ago!"

"_Appearances can be deceiving, Kaos."_ She said. "_I am not really HERE here. What you see before you is but a figment of your very own imagination."_

"Is that so?" Kaos wondered. "In that case, I must be talking to myself!"

"_It appears so. No wonder you were able to figure that out so quickly. You are indeed my smart little boy."_

"Indeed! I like where this is going! Carry on, Imaginary Mother!"

"_As you wish. As you and I have both desired, it is your destiny to rule Skylands."_

"Yes, YES! And crush it under the magnificent weight of my supreme awesomeness!"

"_Indeed. However, you desire something more. The Darkness has given a chance to rule something greater. The Universe. But, in order to do that, you must do the unimaginable: Destroy Skylands."_

She projected forth the Sky Eater tearing all of Skylands apart.

"_Thus, destroying your own destiny."_

"Wait...what?" Kaos was utterly stung by those words. NEVER had he thought of this! Yes, he did see everything he did as evil.

But was there ever such a thing as _TOO _evil? Did he go way too far this time?

"And…" Kaos was a little afraid to continue. "And I DON'T want to do that…?"

"_Well, should you take the Sky out of Skylands, not much will be left for you to rule." _Kaossandra said. "_But this is YOUR decision to make. Will you save Skylands itself so you can fulfill your destiny and take what is rightfully yours? Or will you deny it entirely, make the ultimate sacrifice, and become the ruler of something far greater?"_

"SKY CONSUMPTION AT 98%." The Sky Eater AI said. "CATACLYSMIC MEGA RIFT REACTOR NOW CHARGING." A big red button appeared.

"_What you decide to do now determines and seals your fate." _Kaossandra said as she began to fade away. "_Good Luck, Portal Master."_

"WAIT!" Kaos cried out. "COME BACK! IMAGINARY MOTHER! WHAT DO I DO?!"

"_The choice is yours…" _Her voice repeated. "_You will figure it out. There is no right or wrong answer to this difficult question…"_

Kaos looked at the button and gulped.

For the first time in his life…

He was hesitant to do something _TRULY _evil.


	14. The Sky Eater

"I, KAOS," The Dark Portal Master boomed as loud as he could. "FUTURE RULER OF THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE, SHALL BRING ABOUT THE TOTAL AND COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF SKYLANDS, RIGHT…"

He began moving his finger towards the button.

"NNNOOOOOOOWWWWWWWwwwwwwww…."

Something was wrong. Kaos could feel something. It was like some mental force was holding him back. He…

He just couldn't do it.

Kaos sighed as he slumped into his throne.

"**HAVEN'T WE CONSUMED MORE THAN ENOUGH SKY TO OPEN THE CATACLYSMIC MEGA RIFT?"**

Kaos whirled around. There, The Darkness was now taking a physical form! All it had right now was a giant floating head, but all knew that more was yet to come.

"Well, yes, but-."

"**THEN WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!" **The Darkness boomed. "**PRESS THAT BUTTON AND DESTROY SKYLANDS **_**FOREVER!"**_

"Well, I was just thinking…" Kaos said, trying to muster up all the courage he had. "Now go with me on this, what if we savored the moment? We address everyone in Skylands that their doom is upon them. Their way of life is over, thanks to us! Then, we rule over them for, I don't know, maybe a hundred years? Two hundred, tops! Then we press the-."

"**I HAVE WAITED **_**LONG ENOUGH!" **_The Darkness roared in fury, making Kaos scream. "**PERHAPS YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN HOW MUCH I HAVE GIVEN YOU. AND HOW EASILY IT CAN BE TAKEN AWAY…"**

Kaos felt his head was funny. He felt it. To his horror, the markings were gone!

"**YOU CAN RULE THE UNIVERSE IN MY NAME, OR YOU CAN SPEND THE REST OF ETERNITY JUST...BEING...YOU. SO, WHAT IS IT GOING TO BE?"**

Kaos got into his throne and eyed the button. He took a deep breath…

And slammed his hand down on it.

"REACTOR CORE ENGAGED. MEGA RIFT SEQUENCE INITIATED. TOTAL AND COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF SKYLANDS COMMENCING."

The markings returned.

"**SEE? THAT WAS NOT SO HARD NOW, WASN'T IT? CHEER UP, KAOS. YOU WILL WITNESS THE END OF SKYLANDS FIRSTHAND. AND WITH IT, THE BEGINNING OF THE GLORIOUS REIGN OF THE DARKNESS."**

The very laugh of The Darkness echoed throughout the Sky Eater. Meanwhile, Kaos could only think one thing…

_What have I done?_

…

"Second Light Squadron, form up on my position!" Stormblade ordeed. The Sky SuperChargers grouped their vehicles in a single attack formation. "Sun Runner, does the Sky Eater have any defenses?"

"_Affirmative, Squad Leader." _Astroblast said. "_Scanning of the battle station is complete. It appears to have a force field."_

"Any idea how we can penetrate it?"

"_There might." _Astroblast pointed to the meteors. "_That's a Radiance Geode. If we can crack it open and detonate the crystals inside, the shockwave produced will disable the shield, allowing us to infiltrate the station."_

"Roger that. All fighters, target those exterior crystals!"

Thus began the Charge of the Second Light Squadron! The five ships destroyed one crystal each, making the geode explode and open up.

"Target is in sight!" Stormblade commanded. "All ships, target the seven interior crystals on the core!"

"Heads up, secondary awesome pilots!" Flynn radioed. "You got enemies at…ALL YOUR CLOCKS!"

Stormblade gasped as enemy ships began converging all around them.

"FIGHTERS! BREAK OFF! BREAK FORMATION AND ENGAGE!"

The ships darted all over the place, with fire being exchanged. Stormblade had to perform evasive maneuvers to dodge enemies tailing her.

Seeing another ship speeding towards her, Stormblade tilted the Sky Slicer to be parallel enough to make the two ships miss and destroy each other!

_See that, Flynn? _She thought. _THAT'S how you become the best pilot in all Skylands!_

"We only need one more crystal to destroy!" Stealth Elf said. "But the enemy fire is too great to turn attention away!"

Seeing the chance, Stormblade flew towards the crystal and parked in front of it. She watched as an enemy fighter began flying toward her.

_Steady, Stormblade. _She gritted her teeth. _Steady…._

The Shadowlin opened fire.

_NOW!_

The Sky Slicer's engines roared as she flew out of the way. The enemy fire hit the crystal instead, shattering it.

The following shockwave not only disabled the force field, but also destroyed all of the fighters!

"It's down!" Thrillipede yelled. "GO GO GO!"

"Hurry, old chums!" Jet-Vac said. "The shield could only be down temporarily! Get into the Sky Eater before the shield comes back up!"

The Sky Vehicles flew right into the heart of the massive battle station.

Flying through the intake and erosion tunnels, the Second Light Squadron made their way into the main landing bay.

"This area is unsafe for the others to land." Stormblade ordered. "Squad! Take out all defenses!"

After destroying more fighters and blowing up four turrets, the Second Light Squadron landed safely.

"Sharpfin, this is Stormblade. You are clear for landing."

And with that, Sharpfin's ship, loaded with all 126 Skylanders, along with all of their allies.

"Pretty awesome work clearing a path for us!" Flynn said.

"I can't believe you knocked Glumshanks off the deck!" Cali snapped.

"YOU WHAT?!"

"HEY!" Flynn protested. "Hey, I SAID to hang onto something! Anyhow, I'm sure he's fine."

"We need him to get through this place." Spyro said. "We'll find him! You guys keep going and get that Dark Rift Engine prepped! Skylanders, Operation: Drive Evil Crazy is underway! Let's do this! FOR ALL OF SKYLANDS!"

"FOR ALL OF SKYLANDS!"

As the Skylander army made their way through the landing bay, fighting Dark-Shard Prodders, Shade Rushers, Abyss Twisters, and Pitch-Black Pitchers (Dark Drow corrupted by The Darkness), they managed to find Glumshanks!

"Oh, thank goodness! Are you alright?"

"Of course I'm fine. A Cyclops broke my fall." Glumshanks said. "This is one of the Sky Eater's main ventricles. Stay on course, and you'll be taken to Emperor Kaos himself!"

"Alright!" Spitfire said. "Call in your Land Vehicles! We have to get past those defenses!"

Thus, the eight Land SuperCharges got into the vehicles and sped off! However, it wasn't long until Kaos realized he had "visitors".

"FOOLISH SKYLOSERS!" Kaos yelled through a screen, conjuring a giant purple hand. "DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU COULD SNEAK UP ON ME, EMPEROR KAOS?!"

Tricking the hand into slamming one of the buttons, the team zipped into one of the doors. After repeating this several more times, and destroying Ultimate Equalizers, the team was able to get further into the Sky Eater.

"Okay, according to Glumshanks' schematics," Spitfire observed. "This is the Liquification Chamber. This is where everything the Sky Eater consumed is stored. Like a stomach. It powers the station, The Darkness, and a Hydra Hatchling that lives in it. Gill, assemble your Sea teams and disable the mechanisms. And deal with the hatchling. That should weaken Kaos and The Sky Eater."

"You got it!" Gill saluted. He turned to the other four. "Alright, let's go hunt a hydra!"

The team entered their boats and dove into the pipe. They exited out into the main chamber. Shooting at blocked pipes to open them and drain the water, the team continued to descend downwards.

_Man, this is just like that magic book! _Gill gulped. _And if I'm right…_

His radar beeped. He got something.

The others' radars beeped. Something was under them…

With a massive roar, the baby Hydra leapt broke the surface, grabbing the Reef Ripper, then submerging back down.

"AAAAHHHHH! HEY, PUT ME DOWN! I'M NOT A FISH! WELL, THE SHIP ISN'T A FISH, BUT STILL!"

"Hang on, EYE've gotcha!"

Dive-Clops submerged after the beast. Locking on with his torpedoes, he fired them! The torpedoes hit the Hydra in the side of the face, making it roar and release Gill. The monster breached again and fought the ships! Splat blinded it with paint, Pop Fizz launched acidic potions, Nightfall stunned it with her Abyss Cannon, with Gill finishing it by ramming the front of the Reef Ripper into the belly of the beast!

The Hydra Hatchling roared in pain. Although it wasn't deep enough to draw blood, it was still enough to weaken and defeat it. Losing conscious, the hydra baby sunk into the green water.

"Alright," Gill said. "Time to regroup and take the fight to Kaos himself!"

…

Flynn, Cali, the other allies, and the 126 Skylanders were heading up the main lift to the throne room. Stormblade noticed Cynder was worried. The dragon's heart pounded like mad.

"You're scared."  
"Y...Yeah. I mean, I was scared before. When Spyro and I went to confront Malefor, he told me not to worry. But this. This is more powerful than Malefor. What if we don't stand a chance?"

"You and the others dealt with forces you couldn't possibly comprehend." Stormblade said. "What's one more? And I get it. We're all a little scared inside. But to be brave, we need to be just a little scared. And being brave is exactly what we need to be right now. Don't worry. You're not alone. We'll be with you. I'll be with you. Always."

Cynder nodded.

Finally, the lift came to a stop. They were here.

"OH! Sweet man-cave!" Flynn whistled. "Nice ambience! Except for that lava lamp. It's totally giving me the stink-eye."

"That's…" Spyro gasped. "The Darkness itself. Cali, fire up the Dark Rift Engine! Time to banish this thing!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" An all-too-familiar voice boomed as an all-too-familiar figure descended on his throne. "YOU'RE TOO LATE, FOOLISH SKYFOOLS! THE CATACLYSMIC MEGA RIFT IS ALMOST COMPLETE!"

"Cataclysmic…oh no." Spyro gasped. "That'll destroy all of Skylands! You're insane!"

"You don't have to do this!" Cynder said.

Suddenly, the markings on Kaos' head flashed.

"NOW, PREPARE, ALL OF YOU," Emperor Kaos continued. "TO MEET YOUR MOST ULTIMATE OF ULTIMATE DOOMS AT THE HANDS OF SUPREME EMPEROR KAOS, DARK OVERLORD OF THE UNIVERSE!"

"This is it, Skylanders!" Spyro roared. "Cores, Giants, SWAP Force, Trap Team, SuperChargers, ATTACK!"

Thus began the Ultimate Final Battle For All Of Skylands!

Kaos powered himself up with the power of The Darkness itself, making him strong enough to take on all of the Skylanders!

"Fear me and my awesomeness! Now made even more awesome by The Darkness!" He laughed, summoning Shadow Chompies. "MINIONS! Come and defend your rightful overlord!"

Kaos attacked with spiked balls, BIGGER spiked balls, giant blades, giant hands, and dark energy spheres. However, even with the power of The Darkness…

Kaos was blasted with full force from Spyro's purple fireball, formed from his Aether stored within him all these years ago!

"NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Kaos wailed as he fell from the platform. Recovering, Spyro turned back to his allies.

"Guys! Fire the Dark Rift Engine!"

"Alright, let's do this!" Flynn yelled. "BOOM!"

Suddenly, he froze. As did everyone else!

"Uh, boom? Something's wrong with my BOOM FINGER!"

"No…not again…" Spyro was reminded of when he and the others were banished to Earth all those years ago.

"What's going on?" Spitfire groaned. "I...can't...move!"

"**HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! VERY IMPRESSIVE. I AM ON THE BRINK OF COMPLETE AND TOTAL VICTORY, AND YET, HERE YOU STILL ARE, FIGHTING. BRAVO. UNFORTUNATELY FOR YOU, IT ALL ENDS NOW."**

Spyro gasped. _No…_ His mind flashed back to his nightmare. When he fought The Darkness as Malefor and died.

Now, here it was before him..._ALIVE!_

"Holy guacamole!" Flynn gasped. "The lava lamp taks! That's awesome!"

"**IS THAT SO, CAPTAIN FLYNN? THEN WHAT SAY YOU OF THIS?"**

"Wait, how does he know my-?"

The Darkness' power sent them all flying!  
"Okay, that is less awesome. Well, Cali, now's your last chance to confess your undying love for me."  
"Nah. I'm good."

"Lord Kaos, please! You can still stop all this!"

"**FOOLISH TROLL, GLUMSHANKS. KAOS ANSWERS TO ME NOW. ISN'T THAT RIGHT?" **

Kaos was about to yell at him, but some invisible force cut him off.

"**YOU SEE THAT, GLUMSHANKS?" **The Darkness said. "**NOW THAT IS HOW YOU HANDLE YOUR MINIONS. KAOS! DESTROY THE DARK RIFT ENGINE, AND CRUSH THEIR FOOLISH HOPES ONCE AND FOR ALL!"**

By this time, they were completely frozen. Spyro couldn't open his mouth to protest, or close his eyes. All he and everyone else could do was watch as Kaos charged up his Ultimate Darkness Attack…

_And turn the Dark Rift Engine on?!_

"**WHAT?!"**

The Dark Rift Engine roared to life. All of The Sky Eater began to quake!

"**KAOS!" **The Darkness roared with fury. "**WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"**

"NOBODY TELLS KAOS WHAT TO DO EXCEPT KAOS!" The Dark Portal Master snapped back. "AND THAT'S ME! AND I'M HIM! AND YOU'RE _HISTORY!" _He threw off his crown as the freeze effect wore off.

"Kaos…what…" Spyro gasped. He would never DO something like this!

"WOWSERS!" Flynn gasped. "I can't believe the little guy did it! AH!" The vortex the Dark Rift Engine summoned crackled with spectral lightning. "Uh, maybe we should adios out of here!"

"Glumshanks, you're rehired!" Kaos said, grabbing the troll as everyone else bolted out of there. "Come along now, we are leaving!"

"**I WILL NOT GO BACK!" **The Darkness roared. "**THE UNIVERSE IS MINE! YOU SHALL PAY FOR THIS, KAOS! NO ONE BETRAYS THE DARKNESS! KAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSS!"**

And with that, The Sky Eater went out with a big bad BOOM!

…

"Now that's what I call a big finish!" Flynn said. "Way to help out the Skylanders, brand new Kaos buddy!"

"Take your sticky enchilada hands off me, buffoon!" Kaos wiggled free of the hug. "I am not your 'buddy'!"

Flynn just laughed. "Love this guy." He grabbed the intercom. "As your captain speaking, brace yourselves, folks! This calls for a SUPER! EPIC! MEGA! BOOOOOOOM!'

Spyro only smiled as he looked back at where the Sky Eater once rested.

"So that's it." Cynder smiled. "It's over."

"Yeah. It is. So, what happens now?" He turned to Cynder, his heart somehow pounding. Could it be…was he in...did they lov-?

Suddenly, Spyro noticed something was off with the portal.

Was it...Spyro's eyes widened as everyone heard something truly evil laugh from it…

The Darkness itself climbed out, with parts of The Sky Eater attaching itself to The Darkness as armor! It now had a full body and was HUGE!

"_**MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"**_ The Darkness' voice shook all of Skylands to its core! "_**YOU DID NOT THINK THAT THIS WAS OVER, DID YOU? YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME, FOOLS! YOUR WORLD OF SKYLANDS IS DOOMED, AND THE UNIVERSE IS MINE!" **_It then focused its voice to project all throughout Skylands.

"_**BEHOLD, SKYLANDS!" **_It bellowed in a deep and malevolent voice. "_**I HAVE RETURNED! ALL SHALL FEAR AND OBEY ME! I...AM...THE DARKNESS!"**_

Spyro was frozen with fear. He had never been so scared in his life.

"_QUICKLY, SKYLANDERS!" _Eon shouted in desperation. "_THE DARKNESS IS FREE! YOU MUST FIND A WAY TO DESTROY IT, BEFORE IT CAN ESCAPE AND THREATEN EVERY WORLD IN THE UNIVERSE! EVERYTHING ALL OF YOU HAVE LEARNED ON YOUR JOURNEY HERE IN SKYLANDS FOR THE PAST 5 YEARS HAD PREPARED YOU FOR THIS EXACT MOMENT! THE MALEVOLENT REIGN OF THE DARKNESS MUST COME TO AN END, OR WE ARE ALL LOST! YOUR GREATEST BATTLE AWAITS YOU, SKYLANDERS!"_

Laughing, The Darkness pulled all 126 Skylanders into the massive portal between all worlds.


	15. Fear And Obey

All Skylanders who had Legendary Forms activated them, as Astroblast, Jet-Vac, and Roller Brawl followed, with the Sun Runner being infused with her pilot's power. The Stealth Stinger and The Soda Skimmer became Nitro. Dark Copies of Spitfire, Stealth Elf, The Hot Streak, and The Sea Shadow were summoned.

All SuperChargers found the terrain weird. While the Sky Vehicles were in the air, the Land and Sea Vehicles were on the exact same ground terrain; no boundary between rock and water!

_I never thought I would face the Darkness itself! _Spyro thought. _It's just like my nightmare...NO! I'M NOT ALONE! IT'S NOT IN THE FORM OF MALEFOR! I WASN'T ABLE TO BEST IT THEN BECAUSE I WASN'T STRONGER! I AM NOW! I WON'T DIE! SKYLANDS AND THE UNIVERSE WON'T EITHER!_

"SKYLANDERS!" He roared to the Cores, Giants, SWAP Force, Trap Team, and Superchargers. "THIS IS WHAT WE'VE TRAINED FOR! THIS IS WHY WE WERE BORN! THIS IS WHY CYNDER AND I CAME TO YOUR WORLD IN THE FIRST PLACE! WE'VE ALL WAITED 5 YEARS FOR THIS DEEP WITHIN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US! NOW, LET'S FINISH WHAT WE'VE STARTED 5 YEARS AGO! FIGHT FOR SKYLANDS, NO, THE WHOLE UNIVERSE!"

"FOR ALL OF THE WHOLE AND ENTIRE UNIVERSE! RAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

"_**COME, FOOLISH SKYLANDERS! COME AND CHALLENGE THE ALL-POWERFUL DARKNESS!"**_

"LOOK!" Spitfire yelled. "THOSE ARE RIFT SURGE RINGS! SUPERCHARGERS! HEAD THROUGH THEM TO POWER UP YOUR VEHICLES!"

"WATCH OUT! SHADOW GUARDIANS!" Stormblade yelled. "SECOND LIGHT SQUADRON! TAKE THEM OUT!"

The true final battle began. Spyro was in the lead, flying towards and attacking The Darkness. If this world fell, HIS would be next. He couldn't let that happen.

It was a long and grueling battle. Dodging making blasts, orange Radiance Geode crystals, and dark barrier, Spyro, Stormblade, Cynder, and Spitfire were the only one to make it close enough to The Darkness.

_IT WAS NOW OR NEVER!_

Getting onto the Hit Streak, which blasted forth at full speed, Spyro leaped off, engulfing himself in purple Aether Fire.

Leaping off the Sky Slicer, Cynder engulfed herself in purple Aether Lightning.

Together, the two dragons used their full power and beyond to strike The Darkness hard enough to send it flying into the Dark Portal, back to its own dimension.

"_**NO! NOOOO! NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" **_The Darkness roared as it was sent hurled into the portal.

There was a massive explosion that followed. Many Skylanders escaped, but Spyro and Cynder was caught in the blast, struck hard by dark lightning, and lost consciousness.

_**IF I'M GOING BACK, THEN I'M TAKING YOU WITH ME!**_

The Darkness boomed throughout Skylands as it pulled the two dragons into the dark unstable portal!

"SPYRO! CYNDER!" Gill Grunt gasped.

"OH NO!' Trigger Happy gasped.

Time seemed to freeze down for Spitfire and Stormblade. They began remembering. Their little speeches to the dragons sparked a bond.

The Skylanders couldn't lose anything else. Not again.

She was scared...but she needed all the courage she had.

Kicking the engines into full power, the Hot Streak and Sky Slicer zoomed after the twin dragons!

"SPITFIRE, STORMBLADE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"AAAHHH!" Flynn covered his eyes. "I CAN'T LOOK!"

The two vehicles sped into the portal. It remained open, but no one dared to get near.

All everyone could do now was pray and hope that all four would come out safe…

…

The Hot Streak and Sky Slicer sped through the dark portal, which crackled with unstability. It could collapse at any moment!

Stormblade found it hard to breathe. They were getting farther and farther away from Skylands!

Spitfire narrowed his eyes. If this is how it would end, sacrificing himself to save a friend, so be it.

The two vehicles managed to snatch up the dragons!

"HANG ON, SPYRO!" Spitfire yelled. "I'VE GOT YOU!"

"WE'RE OUT OF HERE, CYNDER!" Stormblade said. "THE PORTAL'S GONNA COLLAPSE!"

They gunned the engines. Suddenly, they heard the sound of something that pierced their hearts with fear.

_The sounds of their engines shutting down…_

"NONONONONONONO!" Stormblade panicked. "Come on, COME ON!"

It was no use. They were so far away from Skylands that the magic the Rift Engines needed were depleted. The four and their vehicles plummeted back into The Darkness.

Still knocked out, Spyro and Cynder could sense something.

Their friends…they were in trouble.

They remembered. Everything that traumatized them in his life. Falling to darkness. Ignitus' death. Fighting each other. Believing they were on the verge of death.

"_Spyro, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."_

"_Don't be. It's over now."_

"_So, this is it?"_

"_I know what I have to do. Just get out of here, Cynder!"_

"_Spyro, NO! You don't have to do anything! Let's just go!"_

"_Where, Cynder?! There'll be nothing left! The world is breaking apart! But I think I can stop it! I think I'm meant to."_

"_Then I'm with you."_

"_..."_

"_I Love You."_

_No._

Their hearts burned brighter and brighter. The light from them seeped into the vehicles…

And then….

_BOOM!  
_Two golden streaks of light zoomed through the tunnel of darkness!

Spitfire and Stormblade found their vehicles infused with pure light itself, as if the Core empowered them!

"HANG ON, GUYS!" Spitfire yelled. "WE'RE OUT OF HERE!"

The Golden Hot Streak and Golden Sky Slicer took off at lightspeed back to Skylands, the Dark Portal closing behind them! The arrows got closer and closer to the light at the end of the tunnel as it began to close!

"Come on, come on…" Stormblade grunted. "Almost there…."

The arrows zoomed towards the tunnel faster and faster, The Darkness gaining on them!

It roared inhumanly as it swallowed them whole.

Then, the tunnel and portal closed…

…

_KA-BOOOOOOOM!_

The light exploded throughout all of Skylands!

The team shielded their eyes as the Dark Portal collapsed in on itself.

The Hot Streak jumped onto the island, her brakes screeching to a halt as she stopped at the edge. The flames of her tires extinguished as the vehicle overheated.

The Sky Slicer roared as it crashed into the ground. Skidding to a stop, her exhaust died out as she emerged unscathed.

Climbing out of their vehicles, no longer golden, Spitfire and Stormblade saw their dragon allies open their eyes.

"GUYS! ARE YOU OKAY?!"

Spyro clutched his head.

Wait…

It...it was coming back to him now.

"I...I remember…"  
"Huh? Remember what?"

"I remember everything! FULLY everything! My memories have been completely restored!"

"Mine too!"

Flynn was speechless.

"THAT. WAS. AWESOME!" He yelled. "I can't believe you just did that! I mean, leaping into The Darkness itself and saving the most awesomest Skylanders ever?! That was as awesome as the ultimate enchilada ever made!"

"And what matters as most as the fact that you're alright," Buzz said. "The Darkness has been banished!"

"Hey, speaking of which, where'd that Kaos guy run off to?"

"He must have fled with Glumshanks while you were distracted." Spyro said. "But just because The Darkness is gone doesn't mean evil truly is. But for now, I say we savor the moment."

"Oh, I've got an idea!" Boomer gasped. Running off and coming back with a bunch of bombs and fireworks, he set them up behind the group and set up a camera. "Smile, strike a pose, and say 'BOOM!'!"

"BOOM!"

FLASH!

As the picture went off, the fireworks and bombs went off, making everyone look cool, awesome, and most of all, awesome.

…

The celebration lasted long into the afternoon. Finally, the two dragons decided it was time.

"When we first came here," Spyro said. "I knew that Cynder and I were connected for some reason. I just didn't know what."  
"But when we regained our full memories," Cynder continued. "We finally realized what it was."

"And we knew it wasn't right to keep it a secret. And thus, we would like you all to know the special connection that kept us together."

The two dragons got in close…

_And nuzzled._

All were silent. Trig dropped his guns. And his jaw. Funny Bone's jaw dropped as well. He picked it back up from the ground.

After the reveal, they congratulated the two. And after the others left to bask in the glory, Spyro and Cynder turned to Spitfire and Stormblade.

"Race you?"

"Race you."

Spitfire gunned up the engine…

_But nothing happened._

"Huh?" Stormblade had the same issue. No matter how much they tried, their vehicles wouldn't start! Seeing the problem, the two used their magic to pull apart the vehicles.

There, they saw the cold, black, and lifeless forms of the Rift Engines.

"No…" Stormblade whispered.

"The Rift Engine…" Spitfire said. "It's dead." He sighed as the vehicles came back together. He patted the side of the Hot Streak. "You've done well for me, pal. But I'm afraid our racing and glory days are over."

"I...I'm so sorry." Spyro said. "Is there anyway to jump start them?!"

"Sorry, kiddo." Spitfire said. "Not even the most powerful force in Skylands can bring them back to life."

They shared a moment of silence. But it was like Spitfire said.

It was time to move on…

…

"_The Portal Connection is established." _Eon said to the dragons. "_Now you can return to your own world."_

"We get to go home, now?!" Cynder almost shed a tear. "Thank you, Master Eon!"

Spyro, meanwhile, was silent.

"_I know what you're thinking." _Eon said. "_But fret not. You can return to Skylands whenever you wish."_

"Well, I don't think I wanna go home yet."

"_Oh? Is there unattended business that you wish to complete?"_

Spyro then remembered what Spitfire had said.

_Not even the most powerful force in Skylands can bring them back to life._

"Actually," Spyro smiled. "There IS one thing."

…

"So, why'd you bring us here again?" Spitfire asked the next day.

"Oh, Cynder and I tinkered on your rides a little." Spyro said. "You said that the Rift Engines couldn't be jump started by the most powerful force IN Skylands."

"Wait…" The SuperChargers pieced it together. Spyro and Cynder weren't from this world…

"Well, not only did our Aether give the engines a little kickstart," Cynder said. "But it gave the rides a SERIOUS upgrade!"

Two purple rifts opened, and out shot the Hot Streak and Sky Slicer, now in their supercharged forms!

"WOAH!" Spitfire gasped. "I can't believe it! You brought them back!"

"And that's not all!" Spyro smirked. "Check out the engines!"

They did, and saw that the Rift Engines were now purple and ablaze with purple Aether Fire!

"We might have OverCharged them." Cynder said. "But at least they're back now! Why don't you take them for a test drive?"

"Thanks." Stormblade said.

The two got in their vehicles and sped off.

Now, it was time for the more _IMPORTANT _matters.

…

"You're leaving?!"

The Skylanders and allies had all gathered at the portal, with Spyro and Cynder near it.

"Yes." Spyro said. "But this isn't goodbye. Not by a long shot. Eon said that the portals could let us return to Skylands whenever we want."

"And even though we'll see each other again," Cynder said. "I want to thank you all for such great times we had together. I'll never forget any of it."

The heroes said their goodbyes as the dragons stepped onto the portal. Becoming purple orbs, they shot into the sky!

The Hot Streak (which could now drive on Aether generated terrain when overcharged) and Sky Slicer sped through the air as the two drivers looked up at the orbs.

"I saved you, and you saved me." Spitfire said. "Seems only fair that we get even before you go."

"And even though this was not your true home," Stormblade said. "Just know that you've always got one here. We'll be waiting for you to return…"

As the orbs disappeared from view, heading back to the dragons' world, the two spoke in unison.

"Portal Masters."

The car and plane broke formation, speeding off to their hearts' desires. Spitfire drove to Pangergast's race phenomenon known as Racelandia, while Stormblade soared towards the farthest ends of Skylands.

This seemed like the end…

But the TRUE story was only just beginning.

…

"Can you believe it?"

"It has been 8 years since the war had ended. Yet we still honor their sacrifice."

Sparx and Hunter stood at the very sight of where they last saw their dragon friends: The exitway of the Ruins of Warfang, looking out at the Dam and Burned Lands. Floating islands were all around.

"I...I just really miss them." Sparx said.

"As do I." Hunter added. "But when a dragon dies, they do not truly leave this world. Their spirits live on, binding themselves with nature and offering hope for the future."

Suddenly, the cheetah gasped as he noticed two purple meteors heading straight for them!

"LOOK OUT!" He grabbed the dragonfly and dived out of the way. The meteors slammed into the cliffside. The dust was swatted away as the two tried to get a view of what had crashed.

"What's going on here?!"

Terrador, Volteer, and Cyril raced down.

"Guys! Something just tried to squash us!"

"Wait! I think I can see something!"

The dust cleared...

_Revealing two VERY familiar faces._

"By the Dragon Elders…" Hunter gasped. "Can it really be?!"

"SPYRO! CYNDER!" Sparx cried. "YOU'RE ALIVE!"

The dragonfly hugged the two of them.

"I know, Sparx! I missed you too!"

"You won't BELIEVE what happened to us!" Cynder cried.

"You look so...older." Hunter stammered. "And different! Your wings! And horns!"

"Well, it's a long story!" Spyro laughed.

"Young lady," Volteer said. "We would NEVER believe anything you told us were lies."

"So, would you care to tell us what had happened after you vanished?" Terrador asked.

"I must tell the others about this!" Cyril yelled. "Spyro and Cynder are still alive!"

While he flew off, the others stayed with their new returned friends.

"Well, let's start from the beginning." Spyro said. "It all began when Cynder and I found ourselves in a magical world of wonder and adventure. It was called Skylands…"


	16. Epilogue

6 months later, the race at Pandercastle Raceway was in the final lap.

Spitfire, however, was in last place.

_Man, Pandergast wasn't kidding! _He thought. _These guys are TOUGH! _He then noticed the red button in the center of the wheel. He smirked. _Alright, Spyro. Let's see what this juiced up baby can do!_

Pressing the button, Spitfire could feel something in the Hot Streak. The golden Rift Engine began sparking, then burst into purple flames! The Hot Streak roared like a beast, then blasted off BEYOND her full speed!

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Pandergast gasped. "SPITFIRE MUST HAVE KICKED HIS HOT STREAK INTO OVERDRIVE, CAUSE HE'S MOVING FASTER THAN FAST! AND I'VE SEEN FAST!"

"Man, this is awesome!" Spitfire said. He looked behind him. "And purple fire?! This thing's deluxe!"

"HE'S CLIMBING THE LADDER! 5TH PLACE, 4TH PLACE, WOW! HE'S AT FIRST PLACE! CAN'T ANYONE SLOW HIM DOWN?!"

"I'll give you the answer! NO!"

Faster than the blink of an eye, Spitfire dashed across the finish line!

"AND THE WINNER OF THE RACELANDIA TOURNAMENT IS SPITFIRE!'

Spitfire brought the Hot Streak to a halt miles from the line (She was going TOO fast).

"You and I," He smirked. "We're gonna GO places."

…

"So, how was the racing tournament?"

"I won, as you probably guessed." Spitfire said to Stormblade. "AND I got this." He pulled it out.

"A...snow globe?"  
"Not just A snow globe. This thing's called the Snow Globe of Destiny. It can grant only one wish."

"So...what DID you wish for?"

"Hey guys!" Gill Grunt yelled. "My engine's all Aethery!"

"Yours too?"

"So is mine!"

"No way! Me too!"

The 18 SuperChargers all looked at the Rift Engines of their vehicles. All of them were now OverCharged with the power of Aether! Now they could all drive throughout the universe without worrying about their connection to Skylands!

"Now they too can enjoy the fame and fortune I have now earned." Spitfire said. "So, did you finally reach the farthest corners of Skylands?"

"Yep. All she needed was a little boost."

They then heard Flynn scream with joy from inside the Academy.

"THE BIGGEST ENCHILADA IN SKYLANDS! THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE!"

"Oh, I threw THAT in as well." Spitfire said. "Didn't want to disappoint him."

Suddenly, the purple porta nearby flashed to life!

"Did you wish for them to return?"

"Uh, no! But this is a nice surprise!"

Spyro, Cynder, and a few others stepped out.

"Sparx, Hunter, Terrador, Volteer, Cyril," Spyro said. "Welcome to Skylands!"

"Woaaaaahhhhh….." The dragonfly gasped. "It's so...peaceful."

"Incredible...It is like the floating islands back home!"

"Welcome back, Portal Masters!" Spitfire said. "I see you've brought a few friends!"

"Well, maybe I should introduce you all." Spyro said. Suddenly, he froze. "Wait, did you just call me and Cynder PORTAL MASTERS?!"

"_You braved all odds to banish The Darkness." _Eon said. "_Spitfire is right. Your courage is too great for the both of you to be Skylanders anymore. You two have proven yourselves worthy of being great leaders. There is no greater honor."_

"Well then," Spyro smirked. "Gather the others. My friends from my world have a LOT of catching up to do!"

…

Later, Spotlight and Blackout found Spyro near where the Core Of Light once rested.

"_I understand your great sadness." _Spotlight said. "_But it was us that banished The Darkness, not the core."_

"I know." Spyro said. "But something tells me that The Darkness isn't completely gone. Fragments could be out there, somewhere. Skylands isn't truly safe yet. This isn't the end."

"**Well," **Blackout said. "**What if we told you that, with two NEW Eternal Elemental Sources, we could build a NEW Core of Light?"**

Spyro shot up. "We CAN?!"

"_Yes." _Spotlight said. "_With the Eternal Light Source and the Eternal Dark Source. However, this new Core will function differently. Along with the sources, we will need components to harness them: The Golden Sun and The Silver Moon. First, the Eternal Light Source and The Golden Sun are in the highest known parts of Skylands: The Skyheavens."_

"**Meanwhile, the Eternal Dark Source and The Silver Moon are in Skylands' deepest and dangerous parts: The Skydepths. This will be your greatest journey yet, Portal Master. Luckily, Spotlight and I will accompany you. Are you ready for a new adventure?"**

"Ready?!" Spyro said. "Ha! I'M ALL FIRED UP!"

And so, the three dragons flew off in their new quest.

…

Eon sensed something.

Kaos had discovered a new way to take over Skylands.

However, the old spiritual Portal Master was prepared.

He took a banner and unfolded it. On it were ten symbols. But these were not Elements. They seemed to be resembling weapons of some sort.

"_It is time."_

To Be Continued In Skylanders: No Limits, The Official Novelization Of Skylanders: Imaginators!


End file.
